Offshore wind farms (OWFs), built extensively in recent years, induce changes in the surrounding water environment. The changes in the suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-aC) induced by an OWF in the Yangtze River Estuary were analyzed based on Chinese Gaofen (GF) satellite data. The results show the following: (1) The flow near the wind turbines makes the bottom water surge, driving the sediment to “re-suspend” and be lost, deepening the scour pit around the bottom of the wind turbines, which is known as “self-digging”. The interaction between the pillar of a wind turbine and tidal currents makes hydrodynamic factors more complicated. Blocking by wind turbines promoting the scour of the bottom seabed of the OWF results in speeding up the circulation rate of sediment loss and “re-suspension”, which contributes to the change in the SSC and Chl-aC. This kind of change in sediment transport in estuarine areas due to human construction affects the balance of the ecological environment. Long-term sediment loss around wind turbines also influences the safety of wind turbines. (2) The SSC and Chl-aC are mainly in the range of 200–600 mg/L and 3–7 μg/L, respectively, in the OWF area, higher than the values obtained in surrounding waters. The SSC and Chl-aC downstream of the OWF are higher than those upstream, with differences of 100–300 mg/L and 0.5–2 μg/L. High SSC and Chl-aC “tails” appear downstream of wind turbines, consistent with the direction of local tidal currents, with lengths in the range of 2–4 km. In addition, the water environment in the vicinity of a wind turbine array, with a roughly 2–5 km scope (within 4 km during flooding and around 2.5 km during ebbing approximately) downstream of the wind turbine array, is impacted by the OWF. (3) In order to solve the problem of “self-digging” induced by OWFs, it is suggested that the distance between two wind turbines should be controlled within 2–3.5 km in the main flow direction, promising that the second row of wind turbines will be placed on the suspended sediment deposition belt induced by the first row. In this way, the problems of ecosystem imbalance and tidal current structure change caused by sediment loss because of local scouring can be reduced. Furthermore, mutual compensation between wind turbines can solve the “self-digging” problem to a certain extent and ensure the safety of OWFs.

We analyzed the distribution of chlorophyll-a (Chla) in the Bohai Sea area based on data from the geosynchronous orbit optical satellite Gaofen-4 (GF-4), which was launched in 2015, carrying a panchromatic multispectral sensor (PMS). This is the first time the geosynchronous orbit optical satellite GF-4 remote-sensing data has been used in China to detect the Chla change details in the Bohai Sea. A new GF-4 retrieved model was established based on the relationship between in situ Chla value and the reflectance combination of 2 and 4 bands, with the R² of 0.9685 and the total average relative error of 37.42%. Twenty PMS images obtained from 2017 to 2019 were applied to analyze Chla in Bohai sea. The results show that: (1) the new built Chla inversion model PMS-1 for the GF-4 PMS sensor can extract Chla distribution details in the Bohai Sea well. The high Chla content in the Bohai Sea is mainly located in coastal areas, such as the top of Laizhou Bay, Bohai Bay and Liaodong Bay, with the value being around 13 µg/L. The concentration of Chla in the Bohai Strait and northern Yellow Sea is relatively low with the value being around 5 µg/L. (2). Taking full advantage of the continuous observation of geostationary orbit satellite, GF-4 with a high-resolution sensor PMS of 50 m can effectively detect short-term change (changes within 10 min) in Chla concentration. The changes mainly appear at the southwest and northeast costal area as well as in the center of Bohai Sea with the change value of around 3 µg/L. (3) The change of Chla concentration in the Bohai sea is related to the environmental factors such as seawater temperature, salinity, illumination and nutrient salts, as well as the dynamic factors such as wind, flow field and tidal current.

In this study, we analyzed the influence of coastal zone engineering on suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in the Yangtze River mouth based on HY-1C and Chinese GaoFen (GF) satellite data. The results show that: (1) SSC in the Yangtze River mouth is mainly in the range of 200–1300 mg/L, which changes due to natural factors as well as coastal zone engineering; (2) The sand blocking engineering effectively protects the channel from siltation, and SSC in the central line of the channel is 100–300 mg/L lower than that near the dikes in the north and south; (3) Qingcaosha Reservoir plays a stabilizing role in the hydrodynamic force, promoting the deposition of suspended matter, so that the water in the reservoir is clear. SSC inside the Qingcaosha Reservoir, located in the center of the estuary, is 100–500 mg/L lower than the high SSC water outside the reservoir; (4) The bridges interact with the current, facilitating the transport of local sediment, resulting in the increase in SSC downstream of these bridges, and obvious vortexes appear with the length up to nearly 2400 m; and (5) Corresponding protection and development suggestions were put forward as follows. A linear array of wind power plants can be built near and parallel to dikes and leading jetties; to increase the depth of the southeast end of the reservoir; and the location of the bridge should be selected in the place of river where siltation is easy. This study aimed to study the SSC distribution under the complex impact of coastal zone engineering with satellite and to provide possible improvement suggestions.

Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) change details derived from HY-1C/D images in the waters of the Zhoushan archipelago were analyzed. A new Chl-a inverse model was built based on the relationship between the in situ Chl-a and the combination of red, blue and green bands of the coastal zone imager (CZI). Chl-a as well as fishery resources were analyzed. The results showed the following. (1) The Chl-a concentration in the waters of the Zhoushan archipelago was mainly in the range of 0.5~6 μg/L. High Chl-a area distributed in the west side of the study area, with a value of 3.5~5.5 μg/L. The Chl-a concentration in the east side of the study area was relatively lower, with a value of 0.5~2 μg/L. Chl-a around the islands was higher than that in the area far away from the islands. In addition, Chl-a concentration increased obviously downstream of the island. (2) The spawning ground of many fish in the waters of the Zhoushan archipelago was abundant, and its spatial-temporal variation was consistent with the change of Chl-a. (3) The islands interacted with the current, inducing upwelling upstream and vortex streets downstream. The complex hydrodynamic environment promoted a vertical exchange of water bodies, thereby resulting in an increase in suspended sediment concentration, nutrients, Chl-a and attracting fish.

We analyzed the influence of a cross-sea bridge on the sea surface temperature (SST) and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) of Hangzhou Bay based on landsat8_TIRS data and HY-1C data using an improved single window algorithm to retrieve the SST and an empirical formula to retrieve the SSC. In total, 375 paired sampling points and 70 transects were taken to compare the SST upstream and downstream of the bridge, and nine transects were taken to compare the SSC. The results show the following. (i) In summer, when the current flows through the bridge pier, the downstream SST of the bridge decreases significantly, with a range of 3.5%; in winter, generally, the downstream SST decreases but does not change as obviously as in summer. The downstream SSC increases obviously. (ii) The range of influence of the bridge pier on the downstream SST is about 0.3–4.0 km in width from the bridge and that on the downstream SSC is approximately 0.3–6.0 km. (iii) When the current flows around the pier, a portion of the flow is dispersed in upward and downward directions; the downward flow generates local scour. When the scouring at the front end of the pier stops, the upward flow behind the pier brings the sediment and the bottom cold water downstream, causing the downstream SST to decrease and the SSC to increase. (iv) The other portion passes around the pier, which generates a wake vortex. Once a wake vortex is released, a low-pressure center appears, sucking the sediment and the bottom cold water to the downstream sea surface, reducing the downstream SST and raising the SSC. (v) The range of reduction of the SST downstream of the bridge is shorter than the range of increase in the SSC. This is because the wake vortices have an effect in the 0.3–4.0 km downstream but not in the 4.0–6.0 km. Therefore, the SST and SSC are affected within the range of 0.3–4.0 km by wake vortices, while in the 4.0–6.0 km region, the SSC is still high due to the transport of sediment by currents.

The response of typical environmental factors in Zhoushan Fishery, including sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface salinity (SSS), and chlorophyll a (Chl-a), before and after Typhoon In-fa was analyzed using satellite data and reanalysis data in this study. Additionally, this study simultaneously elucidated the mechanism by which the typhoon affected these factors. The results showed that: (1) the strong vertical mixing caused by In-fa provoked a decrease in SST, while the asymmetric typhoon wind stress and vertical difference in temperature structure before the typhoon caused a more robust cooling of SST on the right side of the In-fa track; (2) despite the strong mixing and inflow of hypersaline seawater increasing SSS, the combined effect of intense rainfall and diluted water inflow caused an overall decrease in SSS after In-fa’s landing; (3) In-fa caused the Chl-a concentration to decrease first and then increase. The high cloudiness and low Chl-a seawater inflow inhibited the phytoplankton growth during the typhoon, while the abundant light, rich surface nutrients under the upwelling effect, and transport of rich land-based substances induced rapid phytoplankton reproduction after the typhoon; and (4) the change in Chl-a concentration, current, temperature, and salinity induced by a typhoon are essential factors that affect fish behavior and community composition in fisheries. This study provides a point of reference to reveal the response of environmental factors to typhoons and their effects on fishery resources in fisheries located on nearshore estuarine shallow waters with intensive islands.