Effects of stratification on hydrodynamics and mixing process at a large asymmetric confluence in northern China.

The hydrodynamics in the confluence area of rivers are typically governed by the geometrical configuration of the surrounding landforms, the momentum and discharge ratios of the converging watercourses, and the morphological features of the riverbed. Recently, it has been discovered that stratification effects resulting from disparities in temperature, salinity, sediment concentration can also have significant impact on the downstream hydrodynamics of the confluence area. In this study, the impact of stratification induced by sediment concentration on fluid dynamics and pollutant mixing in the Yellow - Fen River confluence area is studied by using a 3D numerical model.