The Yangtze River Estuary (YRE) is the largest estuary in China, with three-order bifurcations and four outlets into the sea. In recent years, issues of saltwater intrusions have received increased attention due to the increased levels and frequencies of the intrusions. The saltwater intrusions into the YRE resulting from river discharges were investigated in this study based on river discharge levels at the Datong station. A hydrodynamic and salinity transport model (MIKE21) was used to quantify the influences of the river discharges on the saltwater intrusions in the YRE. The model was effectively validated through observational data of the tidal and salinity levels. The 25%, 50% and 70% frequencies of the river discharges during the dry seasons were determined to be 18,112, 16,331 and 14,832 m³/s, respectively. A multi-year averaged river discharge of 27,856 m³/s was used to simulate the salinity level changes resulting from the different river discharges. The results revealed the following: (1) the salinity of the South Branch (SB) was distributed as “high–low–high”; and the changes in the salinity levels were greatly affected by the river discharges. A strong correlation was found between the salinity and flow in the North Branch (NB) and SB of between 0.917 and 1; (2) the changes in the river discharges had major impacts on the changes in the salinity levels in the SB. When the runoff was 27,856 m³/s, the salinity excessive area rate (the ratio between salinity excessive area (>0.45‰) and the SB area) less than 10%. However, when the river discharges were reduced to 16,331 m³/s, the salinity excessive area rate is more than 50%; (3) As the river discharges decreased, the amplification line (0.2‰) also rapidly decreased, and the amplification lines (0.45‰, 2‰) increased. At points far from the river’s entrance, the effects of the runoff were observed to be weakened, such as the amplification lines gradually becoming reduced; (4) the changes in the river discharges were observed to have significant impacts on the freshwater reservoir water withdrawal. When the river discharges were maintained at 27,856 m³/s, the salinity of the Baogang, Chenhang, and Qingcaosha Reservoirs remained below 0.45‰. The salinity levels of the four reservoir locations examined in this study were found to exceed the Chinese drinking water standard (0.45‰) for more than 23 days in the 14,832 m³/s river discharge scenario, which negatively affected the drinking water of the population living near the YRE.

More attention has been paid to saltwater-intrusion-related problems in recent years. In this research study, a saltwater intrusion function in the Yangtze River Estuary (YRE) was constructed based on the theory of the interactions between energy accumulation and impedance. A MIKE21 model was used to simulate the hydrodynamics of the YRE. Then, through the analysis of the relationships between the river discharge conditions, tidal ranges, and saltwater intrusion, it was determined that, under certain river discharge conditions, the tidal ranges and salinity levels at the stations in the southern branch (SB) of the YRE conformed to S-shaped curve characteristics. Also, the tidal ranges and salinity excessive area rate (SEAR) displayed similar characteristics. Furthermore, the river discharge conditions were also found to match the S-curve characteristics between the two aforementioned relationship features. Therefore, the saltwater intrusion function of the YRE was constructed based on the previously mentioned development rules. Also, the applied quantification methods were elaborated, and the values of the parameters were determined. As a result, the critical river discharge (more than 10,000 m³/s) was obtained, which could withstand large-scale saltwater intrusions. When the river discharge was greater than 30,000 m³/s, the area was considered to be basically without salt water intrusions, and the estuarine ecology was in an optimal state. The saltwater intrusion losses from 2005 to 2015 are also calculated. These findings have important reference value for water dispatching of the YRE in the dry season.

Because there are many water systems, severe human activities, increasingly serious water pollution problems and great economic loss in the plain river network region, the establishment of scientific and reasonable economic loss function is necessary to guide the protection and management of water resources. Taking the Yangtze Delta as an example, the characteristics of water pollution in the same period are that the flood season is stronger than the non-flood season. The analysis based on the physical mechanism shows that the process of economic loss of water pollution not only accords with S-type curve but also gives a reason for the S-type curve from the aspect of mechanism. The water pollution loss rate function which is constructed on the basis of hyperbolic tangent function divides the development stage into such three stages as non-enrichment, enrichment and saturation of pollutants, gives turning points of each stage as well as the solution and significance of parameters and enriches the physical process of models. The results of living samples show that the comprehensive water grades can be obtained easily and quickly through the river length failure rate. Their good correlation has certain promotion significance. The total water pollution economic loss is bigger. The average economic loss in the flood period from May to July is bigger than that in the flood period from August to September and non-flood period. The living samples prove that there exists pollutant diffusion phenomenon in the flood period.