Tropical cyclones (TCs) significantly influence coastal sedimentation, geomorphologic features, and morphodynamic processes through strong winds, heavy rains, and storm surges. These effects are particularly pronounced in the east China coastal ocean. However, the impacts of poleward and landward shifts in TC tracks on sedimentology, specifically sediment transport and erosion-deposition processes, remain insufficiently understood. This study utilizes the Delft3D-FM numerical model integrated with TC best track data and field measurements to investigate sediment transport patterns under historical TC tracks and to quantify erosion responses to poleward and landward track shifts. From the historical sediment transport pattern derived from the typical historical TC track, results reveal that sediment in waters shallower than 30 m is highly sensitive to TC activity, with four distinct zones where net sediment transport is sensitive to the change of typical historical TC tracks. Coastal erosion depth changes due to poleward and landward shifts of typical TC tracks during the peak TC intensity period are quantified as 0.24–1.63 cm°N⁻¹ and 0.05–1.06 cm°E⁻¹, respectively. Under global warming scenarios, these values are projected to increase by 2.45%–8.00% and 4.71%–13.33%, respectively. Identifying the coastal areas more susceptible to TC-induced sediment transport and quantitatively assessing the effects of poleward and landward track shifts are important for understanding local TC variability and supporting research on sedimentology during TCs and the future protection of coastal areas.

Analyzing the spatial-temporal changes in tropical cyclone (TC) tracks in the east China coastal ocean (ECCO) to quantify the magnitude of poleward and landward migration of TCs is of significant importance for coastal disaster mitigation and planning due to its susceptibility to the impacts of TCs. In this study, the TCs that affected the ECCO from 1949 to 2022 are classified into three typical types of tracks using the k-means clustering method, mass moments, and track interpolation based on TC location, shape, and intensity information. Type 1 is a northwestward track, Type 2 is a northwest to northeast-turning track, and Type 3 is a northwest to northeast-turning offshore track. Type 1 tracks mainly make landfall in southern China, while Type 2 predominantly makes landfall in eastern China. Moreover, the proportion of Type 1 decreases while their landfall percentage increases over time, and the proportion of Type 2 tracks is increasing. The probability of TC effects on the eastern and northern parts of the ECCO is increasing, and the boundary where the TC center reaches after landfall is shifting landward. During the period from 1994 to 2022, there has been a significant migration in TC tracks, with the mean centroid of the TCs affecting the ECCO shifting westward by 0.66° in longitude and northward by 1.26° in latitude, which means the magnitude of the poleward shift is about twice that of the landward shift. This migration appears to have been pre-conditioned by a combined influence of a weakening westward steering flow, reduced vertical wind shear, and warmer sea surface temperature Our findings provide valuable insights into the longitudinal and latitudinal migration of TC tracks and have important implications for disaster prevention, mitigation planning, and the adjustment of crucial coastal protection zones in the ECCO and similar regions around the globe.

An 11-tidal-cycle record time series of current, wave, suspended-sediment, and bed-level characteristics was analyzed to identify physical and sedimentary processes on the tidal flat of Jiangsu Coast, China. A tripod observation system was placed near the transition between mid and upper tidal flat south of a newly constructed harbor for hydrodynamic and sediment dynamic measurements from 27 Apr 2013 to 3 May 2013. The observations confirm the stable longshore northward (ebb direction) current s with residual velocities ~59.2° anti-clockwise from the offshore direction. This phenomenon can be attributed to the effects of headland (the Harbor) induced tidal eddies based on comparable frictional length scale and the headland length scale. Benthic fluid mud layers occurred in 2 of 11 tidal cycles, with the conditions of strong waves during the flood phase. The fine sediment was resuspended by the waves and currents from the lower area, transported upward and concentrated at the observation station, resulting in the formation of a fluid mud layer with thickness of ~15 cm and SSC of ~8 kg/m³ at 10 cm asb. Once formed, the fluid mud layer dramatically modified the flow structure, showing a large reduction of current speed from 20 cm asb to 10 cm asb, when the gradient Richardson number was around the critical value of 0.25, inferring that sufficient turbulence from waves and currents exists to maintain fluid mud suspension. The fluid mud processes appear to occur episodically and may play an important role of sediment dynamics on the tidal flat.