Computational Investigation On Hydrodynamic And Sediment Effects Of Reclamation Project In Meizhou Bay Based On FVCOM

Connecting to the Taiwan Strait,Meizhou Bay is of considerable significance to the city’s political affairs and economy.Similar to other coastal cities,the innate shortage of land has constrained the Meizhou’s economic development and population growth.To acquire more land resources and stimulate its local development,the Meizhou government has carried out a large number of reclamation projects.However,reclamation projects presumably impact the economic sustainable development and the natural ecosystem equilibrium of the bay.Meanwhile,vulnerability to typhoon is another inherent challenge to coastal cities.Every summer and autumn,Meizhou Bay suffers enormous losses from storm surge and inland flooding,which bring great threats to the bay.Herein,a 3D numerical model based on FVCOM is applied to simulate the changes in the Meizhou Bay’s hydrodynamic environment and sediment transport after a reclamation project.The reclamation project greatly alters the shape of the shoreline and narrows the bay,leading to a significant change in its hydrodynamic environment and sediment transport.After the project,the clockwise coastal residual current in the corner above the Meizhou Island gradually disappears.An obvious counter-clockwise coastal residual current emerges around the rectangular corner.The tidal prism decreases by 0.65?10~9 and 0.44?10~9 m~3 in the spring and neap tides,respectively.The residence time presents a major increase,leading to the weakening of the water exchange capacity of the bay.Currents in the tidal channel weaken,whilst currents in the horizontal channel strengthen.The strength and scope of particle trajectories around the horizontal channel and the Meizhou Island enhance.The suspended sediment concentration increases in the majority of the Meizhou Bay but decreases in the lateral bay.The eastern corner of Z2 shows a tendency to erode.The western region of the Meizhou Island,the upper portion of the rectangular corner and the western corner of Z4show a tendency to deposit.The reclamation project increases the maximum storm surges by0.06 m and decreases the maximum significant wave heights by 0.09 m.The results of this paper can provide a basis for decisions on engineering design,environmental protection,pollutant emission control,and plans for dredging projects.