J* E* C* N* U* N* S* ›› 2025, Vol. 2025 ›› Issue (2): 86-96.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-5641.2025.02.009

• Coastal Human Activities and Sedimentary Responses • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Preliminary study on the influence of high-level pond aquaculture effluent discharge on the lateral grain size distribution of beach surface sediments

Gaocong LI1,3(), Jinling MO1, Zhongduo WANG2, Jieping TANG1, Zhiqiang LI1, Yali QI1   

  1. 1. College of Electronic and Information Engineering, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong　524088, China
    2. College of Fisheries, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong　524088, China
    3. Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Ecosystem and Bioresource, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beihai, Guangxi　536009, China
  • Received:2023-10-27 Accepted:2023-12-06 Online:2025-03-25 Published:2025-03-27

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Abstract:

High-level pond aquaculture activity is common on the sandy coasts of South China. Exploring how its tailwater discharge process affects the sedimentary distribution pattern of the beach is crucial for the sustainable utilization and value-added services of coastal resources. Based on the characteristic values and distribution characteristics of surface sediment grain-size, grain composition, and grain-size parameters, this study explored the similarities and differences in grain-size distribution information between high-level pond beaches and normal beaches in the eastern part of Leizhou Peninsula, as well as the reasons behind them. The results showed that: ① the characteristic grain-sizes (D10, D50, and D90) of normal beaches were relatively close, while the high-level pond beaches exhibited larger differences; ② normal beaches mainly contained fine, medium, and coarse sand with similar content; however, no discernable pattern in the high-level pond beach profiles was observed; ③ the range of average grain-size, sorting coefficient, skewness, and kurtosis of normal beaches were relatively close, while the high-level pond beaches exhibited larger differences; and ④ normal beaches showed a trend of finer average grain-size, better sorting, and more negative skewness from land to sea, while the profiles of the high-level pond beaches mainly exhibited a reverse trend of coarser average grain-size, poorer sorting, and more positive skewness. The intermittent discharge process of tailwater from high-altitude aquaculture and its products, as well as the topography of gullies, were the main reasons for the differences in the lateral distribution of sediment between them and the unaffected beaches. This study provides a typical case of how high-level pond aquaculture activities affect the lateral grain-size distribution characteristics of beach surface sediments, which contributes to a better understanding of the interaction mechanisms between human activities and beach sediment and geomorphic processes.

Key words: surface sediment, grain-size distribution index, the high-level pond beaches, Donghai Island, Zhanjiang

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