Sediment transport mechanisms in altered depositional environments of the Anthropocene Nakdong Estuary: A numerical modeling study

Abstract The Nakdong Estuary, Korea, is a dramatic example of an Anthropocene estuary. Over the last century, the construction of two dams has divided the estuary into two discharge energy regimes with the East Nakdong Estuary receiving discharge and the West Nakdong Estuary receiving no discharge. The mean-flow sediment flux gradient during high discharge was the main mechanism for deposition in the East Nakdong Estuary. Because of limited observations, the sediment transport mechanisms for the entire estuary remained unclear. To complement previous observations that were limited to a high discharge event of the East Nakdong Estuary, this study aimed to better understand the spatiotemporal variation of sediment transport and the mechanisms of deposition throughout the Nakdong Estuary. Sediment fluxes and bed level changes were estimated by utilizing the Coupled-Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport (COAWST). Results confirmed that the East and West Nakdong Estuaries had different depositional patterns. The East Nakdong Estuary was characterized as a river-dominated environment with a high influence of river discharge that experiences rapid deposition. The West Nakdong Estuary was characterized as an environment mainly influenced by tides and waves that contribute to gradual deposition throughout the year. The mean-flow sediment flux by river discharge was a main mechanism of deposition in the East Nakdong Estuary after the construction of dam. The continuous landward mean-flow flux by tides and waves through the inlets was the dominant mechanism for deposition in the West Nakdong Estuary. These model results suggest that the Nakdong Estuary may serve as an analogue for a microtidal estuary altered by an estuarine dam, particularly those for which there is a monsoonal climate or anthropogenically reduced river discharge.