flows into the bay, providing fresh water from the west, while seawater comes in from the east. Thus, Hangzhou Bay, especially its western end, is sometimes called the Qiantang River Estuary in the scientific literature.

At less than 15 m in depth, the Hangzhou Bay is relatively shallow. Consequently, the main port in the bay area is the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan, the busiest port in the world by cargo tonnage,