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Flux and its seasonal variation of suspended particulate matter in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea

Transport and flux of suspended particulate matter (SPMs) are important but hotly debated topics in the Bohai Sea (BS), Yellow Sea (YS) and East China Sea (ECS). In this study, we calculated the sediment flux and its seasonal variation combining observed suspended sediment concentration (SSC) with numerically simulated currents. Field observations were conducted in the BS, YS and ECS at 43 stations in summer and 46 stations in winter along five transects. HYCOM/NCODA reanalysis data were used to calculate climatologically monthly averaged currents in January and July from 1998 to 2007. The results indicated that a high concentration of SPM moved out of the BS and moved southward into the YS and ECS in winter, with a net sediment flux of 0.12 t/s at the Bohai Strait and 4.37 t/s south of the Yangtze River. In summer, SSC increased from the surface to the bottom layer due to stratification. A southerly wind and stronger warm currents in summer transported SPM from the ECS to the YS and the BS, with a net northward sediment flux of 4.79 t/s at the boundary of the ECS and the YS, and a net sediment flux of 0.08 t/s input into the BS. This study can help to distinguish the contribution of the Yellow River‐ and Yangtze River‐derived sediments to the mud‐areas' generation on the continental shelves area of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.