Numerical analysis of the combined action of littoral current, tide and waves on the suspended mud transport and on turbid plumes around French Guiana mudbanks

Large mudbanks migrate westwards in the nearshore zone from the Cabo Cassipore in the Amapa state (Brazil) to the Waini River in Guiana. These mudbanks are noticeable by their size (about 4×109 m3 of sediment) and by the sediment dynamics they induce. Notably, visible remote sensing pictures present high turbid mud plume associated to mudbank erosion. The sediment transport is directly linked to the ambient forcing—littoral current, waves, and tide. In this paper, the turbid plume and the suspended mud transport around Guiana mudbanks are studied through a three-dimensional numerical study, under the three main different forcings. The study aims at describing the plume and the action of various physical processes in the suspended mud transport. The model results qualitatively agree with known observations issued from the literature. It is found that, the erosion—at the back of the bank—and the deposition—in front of the bank—could partly explain the migration process of these mudbanks. Waves are fundamental to create the erosion/deposition process, but littoral current and tide modulate it. Bottom flux and plume location vary with tide and these oscillations are accentuated during spring tide. In the same way, the wave incidence angle can explain the variability of erosion and deposition rate velocity along the Guiana coast.