Zhang, Q.; Tao, J.F., and Yang, J., 2016. Numerical study on the transport timescale in a river-influenced macro-tidal estuary. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 193–197. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.

A transport module was developed and coupled with TELEMAC flow model to simulate the spatial and temporal distributive characteristics of the transport timescale based on the mean age concept defined by Delhez. The influences of river discharge, tide and large-scale flat reclamation in Taizhou Bay on the transport timescale were analyzed. Model results show that the transport timescale in the river channel is dominated by fluvial discharge over tide. It took approximately 60, 40 and 35 days for the tracer to be transported from the river boundary to the mouth of the Jiaojiang Estuary during the low, mean and high flow conditions, respectively. Outside the entrance of the estuary, tide dominates and the influence of riverine discharge is minor. Large-scale reclamation considerably affects the age distribution outside the estuary and around the project area, while it has little influence on the mass transport in the upstream part of the estuary. After the reclamation, the difference in mean age between the main channel and the tidal flat increases and the tongue-shaped spatial structure of mean age is more evident.