The Beibu Gulf is a marginal sea of the South China Sea (SCS) and plays an important role for material fluxes to the SCS northwestern regions. Using hydrographical profiles, water and sediment samples, different zones were distinguished for the sampling period in autumn 2009, influenced by tidal mixing, riverine input and water mass transport from the SCS. While wind forcing affects the water column structure, hence driving primary production with an increasing effect of strong wind events (typhoons), tidal forcing influences sedimentation patterns and geochemical properties in the Beibu Gulf.
