Xiaoying Chen, Shenliang Chen, Xiangyang Li

State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, P.R. China

Abstract: Due to the limited sediment supply from the Yellow River and its frequent shifts, the Yellow River subaerial delta is mainly subject to reshaping processes in the form of erosive and accretive patterns. Based on coastal landforms, sediments and hydrologic data, Principal Component Analysis and dynamical geomorphology method have been applied to analyze mechanism for the coastal profiles evolution of the Yellow River delta. The results show that the coast of the Yellow River delta is divided into three geomorphic zones: the area near abandoned delta, estuarine area, and Laizhou Gulf. For nearshore zone of the abandoned delta, waves stirring up sediment and tidal current transporting sediment play a great role in coastal erosion. The intensity of erosion resistance of bottom sediment affects directly the erosion speed changes. The depths of the erosion-accretion balance zone on coastal profiles are controlled by ocean dynamics, especially by tidal currents velocity. Forthe area near current estuary, the coasts have been deposited rapidly. The distance it moved forward to sea is dominated by the relative intensity of fluvial and marine processes. For the area near Laizhou Bay, the coasts keep stable. On account of the influence of tidal current field, most of the sediment supply of the Yellow River can’t reach the area.

Key words: the Yellow River Delta; Principal Component Analysis; accretion and erosion; temporal and spatial evolution