@article{zhang_wang_song_liu_xia_risha_qiu_xu_lv_gao_et al._2024, title={Geochemistry and Provenance of Loess on the Miaodao Islands, China}, volume={15}, ISSN={["2073-4433"]}, DOI={10.3390/atmos15030261}, abstractNote={Loess deposits are widely distributed across the globe and provide detailed records of climatic changes since the Quaternary period. Their geochemical element characteristics are important indicators of paleoenvironmental evolution and provenance. Therefore, four typical loess sections from four different islands of the Miaodao Islands were selected for systematically geochemical analysis of major and trace elements. The geochemical data of major and trace elements are very similar, indicating that the loess of all islands on the Miaodao have a common provenance. The geochemical test results show that t SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3 and CaO are the major chemical components of loess, with an average total content of 85–90%. The average Eu/Eu*, ΣLREE/ΣHREE, LaN/YbN, GdN/YbN values of the Miaodao Islands loess range from 0.65 to 0.69, 7.84 to 8.31, 8.02 to 9.99, 1.40 to 1.76. These data are similar to and different from those of the Chinese Loess Plateau, indicating the diversity of Miaodao Islands Loess provenance. The CIA (Chemical Index of Alteration) (50–65) and Na/K results suggest that the loess here had experienced incipient chemical weathering. The A-CN-K (Al2O3-CaO* + Na2O-K2O) diagram indicates that the weathering trend of the loess sections is consistent with that of continental weathering. The local loess data points are close and parallel to the A-CN line, suggesting that the loess dust material on the Miaodao Islands originated from the extensive upper continental crust, and was highly mixed in the process of wind transport and deposition. The relationships of Log[(CaO + Na2O)/K2O] versus Log(SiO2/Al2O3), Na2O/Al2O3 versus K2O/Al2O3, LaN/YbN versus Eu/Eu*, Sc-Th-La and Zr-Sc-Th plots of major and trace elements reveal that the loess sources for the Miaodao Islands are similar to those of the Loess Plateau, which were derived from alluvial fan deposits flanking the Qilian Shan in China, the Gobi Altay and Hangayn Mountains in Mongolia. However, the loess of the Miaodao Islands is coarser in average grain size and contains abundant marine fossils, with gravel layers, indicating it is allochthous and near-source, which suggests it mainly originated from the adjacent exposed sea floor sediments of the Bohai Sea during glacial periods. Finally, we conclude that the loess of the Miaodao Islands is the result of a gradual accumulation process, in which the relative amount of distant-source material decreased and the near-source material increased in response to changes in sea level and paleoclimate. Our findings support that the loess of the Miaodao Islands was formed by mixing material from distant and proximal sources.}, number={3}, journal={ATMOSPHERE}, author={Zhang, Yunfeng and Wang, Kuifeng and Song, Jianchao and Liu, Paul and Xia, Chuanbo and Risha, Muhammad and Qiu, Xiaohua and Xu, Yan and Lv, Minghui and Gao, Kuifeng and et al.}, year={2024}, month={Mar} }
 @article{li_liu_jia_2023, title={Comparison of the Causes of Erosion-Deposition between Yellow River, Yangtze River and Mekong River Subaqueous Deltas II: Comparative Analysis}, volume={15}, ISSN={["2073-4441"]}, DOI={10.3390/w15010038}, abstractNote={The estuary delta is an area where human economic activities are active and natural ecological environment is fragile. With global change and the intensification of human activities, coastal and seabed erosion around the world is becoming more and more serious. In this paper, we used the Delft 3D numerical simulation to compare the hydrodynamic effects of sediment transport paths in the Yellow River delta (river-controlled type), Yangtze River delta (tidal type) and Mekong River delta (tidal wave type) in the East Asian monsoon area, and analyzed the causes of accumulation erosion landform distribution in three different types of subaqueous deltas. This study finds the Yellow River Delta has experienced varying degrees of erosion at the estuary, but its subaqueous delta is still dominated by deposition; the Yangtze River Delta has ensured the stability of its shoreline under the influence of artificial shoreline reinforcement, but the subaqueous delta (water depth: 0–15 m) is in a state of erosion all year round; and in the Mekong River Delta the erosion occurs in both its shoreline and subaqueous delta. Additionally, only by analyzing the erosion and deposition within the transport range of resuspended sediment, the changes in the properties of the entire subaqueous delta could be recognized. The research results can not only be helpful to analyze whether the change of river sediment will lead to the change of delta type under human influence, but also provide more powerful scientific support for the protection of delta ecological environment, geological environment safety and geological disaster prevention.}, number={1}, journal={WATER}, author={Li, Bowen and Liu, J. Paul and Jia, Yonggang}, year={2023}, month={Jan} }
 @article{hsu_liu_milliman_chen_chang_liu_su_fan_2023, title={Connecting link between a sediment source and its deep-sea sink: Ilan Shelf offshore northeastern Taiwan}, volume={157}, ISSN={["1873-4073"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2023.106499}, abstractNote={The northeast Taiwan margin provides an excellent example of the route of sediment flux from a small mountainous river, the Lanyang River, to a deep-sea basin, the Southern Okinawa Trough (SOT), via a very narrow（8–14 km in width）Ilan Shelf at different time scales. Based on seismic and sub-bottom chirp profiles and onshore borehole and offshore core data, we identify three echo types on the Ilan Shelf that delineate sheets of sediment, mass movement deposits, and echoes indicative of igneous activity. By recognizing lithofacies and seismic facies changes, the Last Glacial Maximum Unconformity and maximum flooding surface are correlated in onshore cores and offshore reflection seismic profiles. With the aids of sequence stratigraphic analysis, the postglacial sedimentation rates on the Ilan Shelf are estimated to range from 0.04 to 1.53 cm/yr. Considering its sediment budget in a source-to-sink system, the Ilan Shelf can be regarded primarily as a temporary trap for fluvial sediment discharged from the Lanyang River. Overall, it has trapped at least 50% of the discharged sediment during the Holocene, and the bulk of sediment was transported, primarily via mass movement to SOT. We deduce that earthquake-induced faulting, axial incision in the channel, and retrogressive failures appear to be triggers for mass wasting, which then combined with channel transport, can play leading roles in rapid downslope transportation to the trough. This inference is indicated by high deposition rates in the western end of SOT and widely distributed mass transport deposits observed in the shallow strata of SOT. We found that the deep strata of SOT are deformed by normal faults, indicating that the sediment accommodation space is structurally controlled by the active back-arc extension. This study documents that frequent typhoons and flooding events, together with strong tidal currents, are significant agents of sediment input over the short term. In contrast, earthquakes and volcanic events occasionally affect sediment dispersal from the Ilan Shelf to SOT.}, journal={MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY}, author={Hsu, Ho-Han and Liu, Char-Shine and Milliman, John D. and Chen, Tzu-Ting and Chang, Jih-Hsin and Liu, J. Paul and Su, Chih-Chieh and Fan, Mei-Chi}, year={2023}, month={Nov} }
 @article{xu_bi_gugliotta_liu_liu_2023, title={Dispersal mechanism of fine-grained sediment in the modern mud belt of the East China Sea}, volume={240}, ISSN={["1872-6828"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104388}, abstractNote={Mud deposition is common on continental shelves worldwide, resulting from various dispersal behaviors of fine-grained sediments. The mud belt found in the East China Sea (ECS) is a product of a complex land-ocean sediment dispersal system, and has thus been the focus of oceanographic research for decades. However, its formation mechanisms, particularly the roles of different local currents on cross-shelf versus longshore transports, are still not clear. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive review of the provenance and dynamical mechanism of the ECS mud belt, based on existing and new data from fields of geochemistry, sedimentology, and physical oceanography. Our results show that, during the summer, the Nearshore Kuroshio Branch Current (NKBC) intrusion onto the northwestern ECS shelf triggers the formation of transverse circulation and super rip current within the coastal area, facilitating the cross-shelf transport. Subsequently, the current displays a meandering trajectory off the southern Zhoushan Islands, leading to the formation of both cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies. During the winter, this northwards NKBC forms a coupled effect with the southwards Zhe-Min coastal current (ZMCC), enhancing the longshore transport. In winter,the Taiwan Warm Current (TWC) intrudes into the southwestern ECS and also forms a coupled effect with the southwards ZMCC. In summer, the ZMCC shifts northward and collides with the southward-directed Oujiang diluted water then forms a super rip current off the southern Oujiang River estuary. In the Taiwan Strait, we find there is a perennial Taiwan Coastal Current (TCC), which can transport Taiwan-derived sediments to the NKBC. These sediments are then carried further towards the northern ECS shelf. We conclude that the sources of the mud belt are mainly from the Yangtze River-derived sediments, and partially from Taiwan- and Minjiang River-derived sediments. The dispersion and sedimentation of Taiwan-derived sediments are controlled jointly by the TCC, NKBC, and anticyclonic eddy, and mainly occur in summer. The previously deposited Yangtze River-derived sediments in the coastal area are resuspended and then cross-shelf transported to form the depocenters during summertime. The diffusion and deposition of resuspended sediments from the Yangtze River estuary are dominated by the coupled effect of ZMCC, NKBC, and TWC in winter. Finally, with the Yangtze River sediment discharge decreasing, we predict that the ECS mud belt will increase in grain sizes in the coastal areas, and the contribution from small and medium-sized rivers will increase. On the other hand, the eastern portion of the mud belt, i.e. clinofrom's foreset, is expected to continue its gradual accumulation, the nearshore topset accumulation will slow down or experience erosion. These findings have scientific significance in enhancing our understanding of the fates of river-derived sediments to the sea, as well as the interactions between oceans and marginal seas.}, journal={EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS}, author={Xu, Gang and Bi, Shipu and Gugliotta, Marcello and Liu, Jian and Liu, J. Paul}, year={2023}, month={May} }
 @article{wang_liu_sun_wang_zhang_zhang_chen_liu_wang_cao_2023, title={Progress in Realizing the Value of Ecological Products in China and Its Practice in Shandong Province}, volume={15}, ISSN={["2071-1050"]}, DOI={10.3390/su15129480}, abstractNote={Establishing a mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products is important for implementing the concept of an ecological society in China. It is a key means of acting upon the idea that green mountains and clear waters are as valuable as gold and silver, and it is a necessary requirement to promote sustainable green development and encourage harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. This article summarizes the connotations of ecological products, the accounting of ecological product value, and the progress made nationally and in Shandong province in promoting the mechanisms for realizing the value of ecological products. Based on the analysis of Shandong’s practice in various means of realizing ecological product value, such as the “forest chief system +”, “two mountain banks”, “mining ecological restoration”, “health tourism”, “ecological agriculture, culture, and tourism”, and “forest ecological compensation”, this article summarizes and proposes three types of ecological product value realization paths: government-led, government + market, and market paths. It also proposes four types of ecological product value realization modes: ecological resource indicators and equity exchanges, ecological governance and value enhancement, ecological industrial operations, and ecological protection compensation. Furthermore, this article puts forward targeted suggestions and methods for value realization in four areas: policy, technology, industry, and markets, providing an experiential reference for exploring diversified ecological product value realization in various regions of China.}, number={12}, journal={SUSTAINABILITY}, author={Wang, Kuifeng and Liu, Paul and Sun, Fengsheng and Wang, Shengwen and Zhang, Gong and Zhang, Taiping and Chen, Guodong and Liu, Jinqiu and Wang, Gangchao and Cao, Songkun}, year={2023}, month={Jun} }
 @article{feng_zhu_liu_jia_2023, title={Sediment Dynamics in Coastal and Marine Environments: Scientific Advances}, volume={15}, ISSN={["2073-4441"]}, DOI={10.3390/w15071404}, abstractNote={Sediment dynamics describe the processes of the formation, distribution, and movement of sediments [...]}, number={7}, journal={WATER}, author={Feng, Xuezhi and Zhu, Chaoqi and Liu, J. Paul and Jia, Yonggang}, year={2023}, month={Apr} }
 @article{liu_liu_wang_2023, title={Sediment dynamics and geohazards in estuaries and deltas}, volume={10}, ISSN={["2296-6463"]}, DOI={10.3389/feart.2022.1079804}, abstractNote={Estuaries and deltas are the most complex areas of the earth’s dynamic system, where frequent interactions and transformation of energy and materials occur (Gao et al., 2014; Yang et al., 2020, Yang et al.). Human exploitation and utilization of the ocean are relatively concentrated in these areas because of the extremely fertile lands with abundant water and diverse vegetation. More than 600 million people live on or near estuaries and deltas, who occupy only 1% of the world’s land mass, and the productive intersection of river and ocean has allowed port cities to flourish (Syvitski and Saito, 2007; Higgins, 2016). Therefore, estuaries and deltas have both important ecological and environmental values and socio-economic significance (Giosan et al., 2014). However, most of the world’s estuaries and deltas are deteriorating at an accelerated rate (Syvitski et al., 2009; Bergillos et al., 2016). Under the combined effects of hydrodynamics, human activities and climate change, the sediments undergo a series of dynamic changes, such as consolidation, liquefaction, erosion, resuspension, and transportation, as well as the dynamic changes of sediment composition, structure, physical, chemical, and geotechnical engineering properties (Morton and Sallenger, 2003; Liu et al., 2017; Burchard et al., 2018; Xiong et al., 2018; Albatal et al., 2019; Yang et al., 2019; Čelić et al., 2019; Glover et al., 2021). These sediment dynamic changes would induce the morphological evolution of estuaries and deltas and a series of geological disasters, such as coastal erosion, submarine landslides, gravity flow, which seriously threaten the marine engineering activities (Liu et al.; Maloney et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2020). Generally speaking, sediment dynamics in estuaries and deltas and its derivative disasters are important aspects of marine geology and engineering studies and is one of the foci of international interest. In this Research Topic, we have gathered contributions from scientists working in diverse disciplines, from the geotechnical and engineering characteristics of sediments, OPEN ACCESS}, journal={FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE}, author={Liu, Xiaolei and Liu, J. Paul and Wang, Ya Ping}, year={2023}, month={Jan} }
 @article{liu_fan_xu_liu_2023, title={Sedimentation on the continental margins: From modern processes to deep-time records}, volume={10}, ISSN={["2296-6463"]}, DOI={10.3389/feart.2022.1048801}, abstractNote={Key Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences and Prospecting Technology, College of Marine Geosciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China, Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China, State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China, College of Marine Science, Hainan University, Haikou, China, Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States}, journal={FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE}, author={Liu, Xiting and Fan, Daidu and Xu, Fangjian and Liu, J. Paul}, year={2023}, month={Jan} }
 @article{tian_jia_chen_liu_zhang_ji_liu_shan_shi_tian_2021, title={Internal solitary waves induced deep-water nepheloid layers and seafloor geomorphic changes on the continental slope of the northern South China Sea}, volume={33}, ISSN={["1089-7666"]}, DOI={10.1063/5.0045124}, abstractNote={Internal solitary waves (ISWs) can cause strong seafloor sediment resuspension and induce nepheloid layers in both shallow and deep-water environments. However, the roles of ISWs in the >1000 m deep sea sediment resuspension and seafloor geomorphic changes are still unclear. To answer the above question, in the Dongsha area of the northern South China Sea, we measured suspended particulate matter along with a section covering the entire continental slope between 300 and 2000 m water depths, together with high-resolution multibeam bathymetric data for examining geomorphic changes. The results indicate that, on the upper slope with water depth <700 m, seafloor sediments were heavily disturbed and resuspended. We find that ISWs could suspend seabed sediments and shape a bedform at water depths ≲1000 m. The maximum water depth of sediment resuspension by ISWs measured is found as deep as 1500 m. The distribution pattern of the seafloor surface sediments on the east of the Dongsha continental slope (fine and silty sand in <700 m water depth, clayey silt between 700 and 1500 m, and silty clay > 1500 m) also indicates that they are mainly controlled and impacted by ISWs. The wave refraction theory could be applied to the upper slope, but sediment resuspension is related to the seabed topography on the lower slope. Our study shows that the suspension and transport of sediments induced by episodic ISWs on the Dongsha slope of the northern South China Sea could shape the bedform and affect the sedimentary seabed geomorphology. This research will help explain the impacts of the ISWs on the deep-water sediment resuspension and seafloor geopmorphic changes along with the continental slope in the margin sea.}, number={5}, journal={PHYSICS OF FLUIDS}, author={Tian, Zhuangcai and Jia, Yonggang and Chen, Jiangxin and Liu, J. Paul and Zhang, Shaotong and Ji, Chunsheng and Liu, Xiaolei and Shan, Hongxian and Shi, Xuefa and Tian, Jiwei}, year={2021}, month={May} }
 @article{du_xiang_liu_yan_sha_liu_chen_islam_herath_2021, title={Variable Kuroshio Current intrusion into the northern South China Sea over the last 7.3 kyr}, volume={562}, ISSN={["1872-616X"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.110093}, abstractNote={The branch intrusion of the Kuroshio Current (KC) into the northern South China Sea (SCS) has a significant effect on temperature, salinity, circulation, and eddy generation. However, the study of Holocene hydrological changes and the historical influence of the KC in this region is limited. Here, we report high-resolution sea surface temperature (SST) and δ18Osw (as a proxy for sea surface salinity, SSS) records based on paired Mg/Ca ratios and δ18O analyses of the planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber combined the Pulleniatina obliquiloculata and G. sacculifer/G. ruber ratios from core 05E306 (22°0.06′ N, 118°59.64′ E; water depth = 1440 m) in the northern SCS. By comparing these data with records from cores located within and outside of the main KC flow pathway, we evaluate the spatiotemporal evolution of the KC in this region over the last 7.3 kyr. The strongest influence was observed from 6.1 to 5.3 ka, recorded as an abrupt increase in SST and SSS with remarkably increased P. obliquiloculata abundance (37.4%) and G. sacculifer/G. ruber ratios (3.18). During the following period, 5–2.5 ka, SST decreased by 0.4–1.1 °C with an associated decrease in δ18Osw, indicating a weakened KC. After 2.5 ka, the influence of the KC on the northern SCS strengthened; however, the high SST record still exhibits a spatial constraint in the longitude distribution of the KC during this period of strongest intrusion. Moreover, the abundance of planktonic foraminifera in the study area more strongly correlates with SSS than SST. The δ18Osw records in core 05E306 show a freshening trend after 5.7 ka, which is inconsistent with the declining East Asian Summer Monsoon precipitation record but consistent with the Holocene freshening trend recorded in the Western Pacific. This suggests that hydrological variability of the northern SCS is mainly influenced by the Western Pacific Ocean.}, journal={PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY}, author={Du, Shuhuan and Xiang, Rong and Liu, Jianguo and Yan, Hongqiang and Sha, Longbin and Liu, J. Paul and Chen, Zhong and Islam, G. M. Ariful and Herath, H. M. Dileep Bandara}, year={2021}, month={Jan} }
 @article{li_jia_liu_liu_wang_2020, title={Effect of Wave, Current, and Lutocline on Sediment Resuspension in Yellow River Delta-Front}, volume={12}, ISSN={["2073-4441"]}, DOI={10.3390/w12030845}, abstractNote={Historically, the Yellow River in China discharges > 1 × 109 ton/yr sediment to the sea, and has formed a large delta in the western Bohai Sea. Its river mouth is characterized by an extremely high suspended sediment concentration (SSC), up to 50 g/L. However, the hydrodynamic factors controlling the high suspended sediments in the Yellow River estuary are not well understood. Here, we conducted two hydrodynamic observations and SSC measurements in the winter and spring low-flow seasons of 2014–2015 and 2016–2017 under five sea conditions, including calm-rippled, smooth-wavelet, slight, moderate, and rough, in the Yellow River Delta-front during the observation period. Under calm-rippled conditions, the contribution of currents to the total resuspended sediment concentration (RSC) was 77.7%–100.0%. During the smooth-wavelet and slight periods, the currents’ contribution decreased as low as 30% and 3.0% of the total RSC, respectively. Under moderate and rough-sea conditions, waves accounted for at least 70% and 85% of the total RSC, respectively. The results indicate that 20 cm-thick lutoclines were created after a significant increase in the wave height to a peak value followed by a decrease. When the SSC is over 3 g/L and hydrodynamic conditions could not break the lutoclines, the flocculent settling of suspended sediment changes to hindered settling in the Yellow River Delta. Under hindered settling, the settling velocity decreases, and the resuspended sediments remains in the lutoclines and their lower water layers. This study reveals different controlling factors for the high SSC near a river-influenced delta, and helps us get a better understanding of a delta’s resuspension and settling mechanisms.}, number={3}, journal={WATER}, author={Li, Bowen and Jia, Yonggang and Liu, J. Paul and Liu, Xiaolei and Wang, Zhenhao}, year={2020}, month={Mar} }
 @article{liu_kuehl_pierce_williams_blair_harris_aung_aye_2020, title={Fate of Ayeyarwady and Thanlwin Rivers Sediments in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal}, volume={423}, ISSN={["1872-6151"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.margeo.2020.106137}, abstractNote={Collectively, the modern Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) and Thanlwin (Salween) rivers deliver >600 Mt/yr of sediment to the sea. To understand the fate of Ayeyarwady and Thanlwin river-derived sediments to the sea, we conducted a 14-day geophysical and geological survey in the northern Andaman Sea and eastern Bay of Bengal in December 2017. Overall, ~1500-km of high-resolution Chirp-sonar profiles and 30 sediment cores from the shelf were acquired. This paper presents the results of the processed high-resolution profiles together with sediment analyses. Our findings indicate: 1) There is little modern sediment accumulating on the shelf immediately off the Ayeyarwady River mouths. In contrast, a major mud wedge with a distal depocenter, up to 60 m in thickness, has been deposited seaward in the Gulf of Martaban, extending to ~130 m water depth into the Martaban Depression. Further, 2) There is no evidence showing that modern sediment has accumulated or is transported into the Martaban Canyon; 3) There is a mud drape/blanket wrapping around the narrow western Myanmar Shelf in the eastern Bay of Bengal. The thickness of the mud deposit is up to 20 m nearshore and gradually thins to the slope at −300 m water depth, and likely escapes into the deep Andaman Trench; 4) The estimated total amount of Holocene sediments deposited offshore is ~1290 × 109 tons. If we assume this has mainly accumulated since the middle Holocene highstand (~6000 yr BP) like other major deltas, the historical annual mean depositional flux on the shelf would be 215 Mt/yr, which is equivalent to ~35% of the modern Ayeyarwady-Thanlwin rivers derived sediments; 5) Unlike other large river systems in Asia, such as the Yangtze and Mekong, this study indicates a bi-directional transport and depositional pattern controlled by the local currents that are influenced by tides, and seasonally varying monsoons winds and waves. Organic carbon biomarkers and isotope compositions show a gradual changing pattern with the along-shelf transport from the river to the Gulf of Martaban in the east and to the Bay of Bengal in the west.}, journal={MARINE GEOLOGY}, author={Liu, J. Paul and Kuehl, Steven A. and Pierce, Austin C. and Williams, Joshua and Blair, Neal E. and Harris, Courtney and Aung, Day Wa and Aye, Yin Yin}, year={2020}, month={May} }
 @article{wang_zhang_xiang_liu_zhong_qiao_yang_2020, title={Holocene paleoenvironmental changes in mud area southwest off Cheju Island, East China Sea: Evidence from benthic foraminiferal assemblages and stable isotope records}, volume={429}, ISSN={["1872-6151"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.margeo.2020.106319}, abstractNote={A sediment core retrieved from the mud area southwest off Cheju Island (MASCI) was analysed for benthic foraminifera, grain size, and stable isotopes and constrained by AMS14C dating. Holocene paleoenvironmental changes in this broad shallow shelf were investigated, with special focus on the evolution of the MASCI and its related ocean eddy system. The results indicate that the East China Sea shelf has undergone four major environmental evolution stages during the Holocene. Prior to 9.8 cal. Kyr BP, the benthic foraminiferal assemblages were dominated by low salinity, shallow-water species [Ammonia beccarii (Linnaeus), Elphidium advenum (Cushman), and Cribrononion subincertum (Asano)], reflecting a near-coast-deposit environment. A noticeable transition of the benthic foraminifera, from an A. beccarii dominated to Ammonia compressiuscula (Brady) dominated assemblage, taking place at approximately 9.8 cal. Kyr BP together with a contemporaneous increase in δ18O and δ13C, provides evidence that a rapid rise in sea level occurred at this time in the East China Shelf. A gradual increase in δ18O between 9.8 and 6 cal. Kyr BP indicates a steady strengthening influence of open ocean water on the area under study. A sudden increase in the abundance of benthic foraminifera along with a decrease in the coarse fraction imply that an early eddy circulation system was established since almost 6 cal. Kyr BP in the MASCI. This eddy circulation system was quite weak but gradually strengthened between 6 and 3 cal. Kyr BP, possibly due to the intrusion of the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC). A more stable mud deposition period, characterised by a high sedimentation rate of fine-grained sediment and lighter value of δ13C, starting at approximately 3 cal. Kyr BP, indicates that the MASCI was formed mainly during the late Holocene. We believe that the strengthened YSWC since 3 cal. Kyr BP might increase the trap efficiency of the eddy system, thereby accounting for the high sedimentation rate of mud deposits during this period.}, journal={MARINE GEOLOGY}, author={Wang, Haoyin and Zhang, Lanlan and Xiang, Rong and Liu, J. Paul and Zhong, Fuchang and Qiao, Shuqing and Yang, Zuosheng}, year={2020}, month={Nov} }
 @misc{chen_li_saito_liu_duan_liu_zhang_2020, title={Recent evolution of the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) Delta and the impacts of anthropogenic activities: A review and remote sensing survey}, volume={365}, ISSN={["1872-695X"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107231}, abstractNote={Intensive studies have been conducted globally in the past decades to understand the evolution of several large deltas. However, despite being one of the largest tropical deltas, the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) Delta has received relatively little attention from the research community. To reduce this knowledge gap, this study aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the delta's evolution and identify its influencing factors using remote sensing images from 1974 to 2018, published literature and available datasets on the river, and human impacts in its drainage basin. Our results show that 1) Based on the topographic and geomorphological features, the funnel-shaped Irrawaddy Delta can be divided into two parts: the upper fluvial plain and the lower low-lying coastal plain; 2) The past 44-year shoreline changes show that overall accretion of the delta shoreline was at a rate of 10.4 m/year, and approximately 42% of the shoreline was subjected to erosion from 1974 to 2018. In the western coast, 60% of shoreline was under erosion with an average shoreline change rate of 0.1 m/year. In the east part, 81% of the shoreline was accreted with an average accretion rate of 24 m/year; 3) River channel geomorphological analysis indicates that three distributaries of the Irrawaddy, Bogale, and Toe have developed most active sandbars, which coincides with the amount of water they discharged (>50%). This implies that these three distributaries might be the currently most active channels in the delta; 4) The Irrawaddy mainstream in the Central Dry Zone (the original high sediment yield area) has become less braided and some tributaries have become increasingly straightened, which are highly likely related to reductions in sediment supply and peak flow induced by dam construction; 5) The large geomorphological adjustments at the two bifurcation points means that the diversions and fractions of water and sediment into the distributaries have likely already changed due to anthropogenic impacts. Our comprehensive analysis suggests that increasing human activities have caused reductions in coarse sediment supply entering the coastal delta plain, further inducing the erosion of the major channels in the lowermost delta and the western delta coast, and the adjustments of fluvial and coastal geomorphology; meanwhile, deforestation and terrestrial mining have provided extra fine sediment, which is mainly transported by the monsoon-driven current to the eastern coast to in part maintain its rapid accretion. Given the situation of rapidly increasing population and climate change, the current natural equilibrium state of the delta setting will most likely be disturbed in the near future. Therefore, our work calls for more intensive monitoring- and modeling-based study in order to better understand the controlling factors influencing the delta evolution in the future.}, journal={GEOMORPHOLOGY}, author={Chen, Dan and Li, Xing and Saito, Yoshiki and Liu, J. Paul and Duan, Yuangiang and Liu, Shu'an and Zhang, Lianpeng}, year={2020}, month={Sep} }
 @article{li_jia_liu_su_liu_wen_2020, title={The controlling factors of high suspended sediment concentration in the intertidal flat off the Huanghe River Estuary}, volume={39}, ISSN={["1869-1099"]}, DOI={10.1007/s13131-020-1679-9}, number={10}, journal={ACTA OCEANOLOGICA SINICA}, author={Li, Bowen and Jia, Yonggang and Liu, J. Paul and Su, Jianfeng and Liu, Xiaolei and Wen, Mingzheng}, year={2020}, month={Oct}, pages={96–106} }
 @article{liu_demaster_nittrouer_eidam_nguyen_2017, title={A seismic study of the Mekong subaqueous delta: Proximal versus distal sediment accumulation}, volume={147}, ISSN={0278-4343}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.CSR.2017.07.009}, DOI={10.1016/J.CSR.2017.07.009}, abstractNote={The Mekong River Delta is one of the largest in Asia. To understand its sediment distribution, thickness, mass budget, stratigraphic sequences and sediment-transport process, extensive geophysical and geochemical surveys were conducted on the inner portions of the adjacent continental shelf. Analyses of > 80 high-resolution Chirp-sonar profiles show the Mekong River has formed a classic sigmoidal cross-shelf clinoform in the proximal areas, up to 15 m thick, with topset, foreset and bottomset facies, but constrained to water depths of < 20 m. Beyond this depth, the East Sea/western South China Sea shelf is dominated by relict silt, sand and gravel with patches of early to middle Holocene mud deposits. Parallel to shore, the Mekong-derived sediment has extended > 250 > 300 km southwestward to the tip of the Ca Mau Peninsula, forming a distal mud depocenter up to 22 m thick, and extending into the Gulf of Thailand. A large erosional trough or channel (up to 8 m deeper than the surrounding seafloor and parallel to the shore) was found on the top of the clinoform, east of the Ca Mau Peninsula. Based on the thicknesses and distribution revealed by Chirp sonar profiles, the total estimated volume of the Mekong River subaqueous clinoform on the shelf is ~120 km3, which is equivalent to ~120–140 × 109 t of sediment using an average sediment dry-bulk density of 1.0–1.2 g/cm3. Assuming the subaqueous deltaic deposit has formed within ~1000 yr, the calculated millennial-timescale average sediment discharge to the shelf could be 120–140 × 106 t per year. Spatially, the proximal subaqueous delta has accumulated ~45 × 109 t (~33%) of sediment; the distal part around the Ca Mau Peninsula has received ~55 × 109 t (~42%) of sediment; and the remaining ~35 × 109 t (~25%) has accumulated within the central transition area, although the coastline and shoreface in this area are presently eroding. The spatially averaged 1000-yr-scale accumulate rate is up to 2 cm/yr. Compared to other tide-dominated fluvial dispersal systems, the Mekong River system has a relatively young (≤1000 yr) subaqueous delta, a shallow rollover at 4–6 m water depth, gentle foreset gradients (0.03–0.57°), and a short cross-shelf dimension of 15–20 km within 20-m water depth. Like the Amazon, Po, and Yangtze rivers, the Mekong River has developed a pervasive along-shelf deposit, which in this case extends > 250 > 300km to the southwest as a result of the superimposed tidal processes, wave-induced resuspension, and a strong low-flow season coastal current.}, journal={Continental Shelf Research}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Liu, J. Paul and DeMaster, David J. and Nittrouer, Charles A. and Eidam, Emily F. and Nguyen, Thanh T.}, year={2017}, month={Sep}, pages={197–212} }
 @article{demaster_liu_eidam_nittrouer_nguyen_2017, title={Determining rates of sediment accumulation on the Mekong shelf: Timescales, steady-state assumptions, and radiochemical tracers}, volume={147}, ISSN={0278-4343}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.CSR.2017.06.011}, DOI={10.1016/J.CSR.2017.06.011}, abstractNote={Thirty-two kasten cores, collected from the proximal Mekong continental shelf, have been analyzed for their excess 210Pb distributions in an effort to establish rates of sediment accumulation over the past 100 years. The length of the cores varied from 0.5 to 3 m, and stations sampled topset, foreset, and bottomset beds (water depths 7–21 m). Apparent excess 210Pb sediment accumulation rates ranged from > 10 cm/y (no down-core decrease of excess activity over 300 cm core length) near the Song Hau river mouth, to 1–3 cm/y in topset and foreset beds within 20–50 km of the river mouth, to rates as low as 0.4 cm/y in cores from bottomset beds. The 210Pb sediment accumulation rates yield an overall sediment burial rate of 6.1 × 1013 g/y for the proximal deltaic deposits, which corresponds to 43% of the total modern Mekong sediment burial on the southern Vietnam shelf (1.4 × 1014 g/y; based on our 210Pb and seismic data and 210Pb data from the literature). This shelf burial rate is in reasonable agreement with current long-term estimates of Mekong River sediment discharge (1.3–1.6 × 1014 g/y) from the literature. The inventory of excess 210Pb in the proximal Mekong deltaic deposits indicates that the shoreward flow of offshore water (entrained during river/ocean mixing) is approximately twice the flow of the Mekong freshwater discharge. Organic-carbon 14C ages were measured on 10 cores from the proximal Mekong delta and compared to 210Pb sediment accumulation rates in the same core. The 210Pb accumulation rates in all 10 cores were considered to be more robust and accurate than the 14C geochronologies, primarily because of down-core variations in the source of organic carbon deposited on the seafloor (old terrestrial carbon versus younger marine carbon). Variations in the source of organic carbon accumulating in the seabed were resolved by measuring the δ13C value of the seabed organic carbon.}, journal={Continental Shelf Research}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={DeMaster, D.J. and Liu, J.P. and Eidam, E. and Nittrouer, C.A. and Nguyen, T.T.}, year={2017}, month={Sep}, pages={182–196} }
 @article{eidam_nittrouer_ogston_demaster_liu_nguyen_nguyen_2017, title={Dynamic controls on shallow clinoform geometry: Mekong Delta, Vietnam}, volume={147}, ISSN={0278-4343}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.CSR.2017.06.001}, DOI={10.1016/J.CSR.2017.06.001}, abstractNote={Compound deltas, composed of a subaerial delta plain and subaqueous clinoform, are common termini of large rivers. The transition between clinoform topset and foreset, or subaqueous rollover point, is located at 25–40-m water depth for many large tide-dominated deltas; this depth is controlled by removal of sediment from the topset by waves, currents, and gravity flows. However, the Mekong Delta, which has been classified as a mixed-energy system, has a relatively shallow subaqueous rollover at 4–6-m depth. This study evaluates dynamical measurements and seabed cores collected in Sep 2014 and Mar 2015 to understand processes of sediment transfer across the subaqueous delta, and evaluate possible linkages to geometry. During the southwest rainy monsoon (Sep 2014), high river discharge, landward return flow under the river plume, and regional circulation patterns facilitated limited sediment flux to the topset and foreset, and promoted alongshore flux to the northeast. Net observed sediment fluxes in Sep 2014 were landward, however, consistent with hypotheses about seasonal storage on the topset. During the northeast rainy monsoon, low river discharge and wind-driven currents facilitated intense landward and southwestward fluxes of sediment. In both seasons, bed shear velocities frequently exceeded the 0.01–0.02 m/s threshold of motion for sand, even in the absence of strong wave energy. Most sediment transport occurred at water depths <14 m, as expected from observed cross-shelf gradients of sedimentation. Sediment accumulation rates were highest on the upper and lower foreset beds (>4 cm/yr at <10 m depth, and 3–8 cm/yr at ~10–20 m depth) and lowest on the bottomset beds. Physically laminated sediments transitioned into mottled sediments between the upper foreset and bottomset regions. Application of a simple wave-stress model to the Mekong and several other clinoforms illustrates that shallow systems are not necessarily energy-limited, and thus rollover depths cannot be predicted solely by bed-stress distributions. In systems like the subaqueous Mekong Delta, direction of transport may have a key impact on morphology.}, journal={Continental Shelf Research}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Eidam, E.F. and Nittrouer, C.A. and Ogston, A.S. and DeMaster, D.J. and Liu, J.P. and Nguyen, T.T. and Nguyen, T.N.}, year={2017}, month={Sep}, pages={165–181} }
 @article{li_liu_saito_nguyen_2017, title={Recent evolution of the Mekong Delta and the impacts of dams}, volume={175}, ISSN={0012-8252}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.EARSCIREV.2017.10.008}, DOI={10.1016/J.EARSCIREV.2017.10.008}, abstractNote={As the world's third largest delta and one of the world's most important biodiversity hotspots, the Mekong Delta provides both ecological and food security for its inhabitants. Nevertheless, the delta has been threatened by climate change and human activities, particularly the proliferation of hydropower development across the Mekong Basin since the 1990s. However, compared to the well-studied Holocene Mekong Delta, our understanding of the recent 50-year evolution of the Mekong Delta is not sufficient to address these threats. In this study, we used 43-year Landsat images from 1973 to 2015 to investigate the entirety of the Mekong Delta's shoreline, land area and geomorphological changes. We compiled a new and comprehensive GIS database of the dams and irrigations of the Mekong Basin. The goal was to improve our knowledge of the recent evolution of the Mekong Delta and to link the potential impacts of dams and other factors. Our results show that the Mekong Delta is experiencing a significant decrease in the shoreline progradation rate. Currently, 66% of the entire delta shoreline is under erosion. The erosion segments are mainly located on the eastern side of the Ca Mau Peninsula and northwestern side of the delta in the Gulf of Thailand (GoT). Most parts of the shorelines in the estuarine area are still growing, although river sediment continues to decrease. Geomorphological asymmetries, discontinuous shoreline shifts, and sandy beach-ridge sets can be observed in multitemporal images. The entire Mekong Delta experienced a shift from growing to shrinking around 2005 with the gradual increase of the total accumulated installed capacity of the dams over the entire river basin. In the near future, the realization of planned dams, extension of irrigation, groundwater withdrawal, uncontrolled riverbed mining, delta subsidence, sea level rise, and other factors will accelerate the ongoing delta erosion.}, journal={Earth-Science Reviews}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Li, Xing and Liu, J. Paul and Saito, Yoshiki and Nguyen, Van Lap}, year={2017}, month={Dec}, pages={1–17} }
 @article{wei_dai_mei_liu_gao_li_2017, title={Shoal morphodynamics of the Changjiang (Yangtze) estuary: Influences from river damming, estuarine hydraulic engineering and reclamation projects}, volume={386}, ISSN={0025-3227}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.MARGEO.2017.02.013}, DOI={10.1016/J.MARGEO.2017.02.013}, abstractNote={Concerns regarding estuarine shoal morphodynamics have increased worldwide because of intensive anthropogenic activities. To explore response of estuarine shoals to possible couplings of multiple artificial interferences in river basins and within estuaries, the link between the morphodynamic processes of the Nanhui Shoal (NHS), which is located along the southern margin of the Changjiang estuary, the largest estuary in Asia, and river damming, estuarine hydraulic engineering and reclamation projects, is discerned in this study. The results reveal that the NHS exhibited secular polarization during 1998–2013, with a significant accretion of 1.8 × 108 m3 landward from the tidal ridge and an erosion of 0.3 × 108 m3 on the seaward edge, respectively, forming a steep slope with an elevation between − 2 and − 3 m. Meanwhile, the NHS morphodynamics could be divided into 3 stages: mild accretion with an undisturbed tidal channel during 1998–2002, strong sedimentation with a disrupted tidal channel during 2003–2008, and large-scale landward accretion with an infilled tidal channel after 2009. Moreover, the NHS's volume variations exhibited an 18-month cycle, even though an increased area of 35 km2 above − 2 m and a decreased area of 45 km2 between − 2 and − 5 m were observed. The primary causes of theses periodic changes in the NHS's volume are determined as the fluctuating Changjiang water discharge and cyclically altered hydrodynamics of the South Passage. The Deep Waterway Project (DWP) and reclamation projects were responsible for the polarization of seaward erosion and landward accretion, respectively. Moreover, these reclamation projects dominated the staggered changes in NHS morphodynamics by inducing continuous accretion within the tidal channel. Compared to estuarine engineering, river damming induced dramatic declines in distal sediment may have played a minor role in flat changes of NHS.}, journal={Marine Geology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Wei, Wen and Dai, Zhijun and Mei, Xuefei and Liu, J. Paul and Gao, Shu and Li, Shushi}, year={2017}, month={Apr}, pages={32–43} }
 @article{li_liu_tian_2016, title={Evolution of the Jiuduansha wetland and the impact of navigation works in the Yangtze Estuary, China}, volume={253}, ISSN={0169-555X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.GEOMORPH.2015.10.031}, DOI={10.1016/J.GEOMORPH.2015.10.031}, abstractNote={The estuarine wetlands in the Yangtze Estuary face increasing threats due to large-scale engineering projects and huge land requirements. As a Wetland National Nature Reserve and important stopover site for migratory shorebirds of the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, the Jiuduansha wetland, one of four main islands in the estuary, is of both national and international importance. Since 1998 the previously undisturbed wetland has been considerably modified by the adjacent Deep-water Navigation Channel project (DNC). In order to understand the role of the DNC for the evolution of the Jiuduansha wetland, we performed a diagnostic study from multiple perspectives, including deposition rate, area change, evolution track, geometric characteristics, and geomorphological change. By coupling GIS, geostatistics, and remote sensing techniques, this study demonstrates the impact of the DNC on the Jiuduansha wetland in a spatially explicit way. Multi-temporal bathymetric maps and Landsat images from before and after the DNC was constructed were adopted to conduct our study. We find that deposition has occurred in most parts of the wetland over the past almost 30 years, accounting for 67.3% of the total area. However, over 40% of the study area shows a decreasing trend in deposition rate. The spatial distribution of deposition–erosion patterns is closely linked to the DNC. We also find that the DNC has substantial effects on the evolution of the Jiuduansha wetland. The 0, 2, and 5 m isobaths in the Jiuduansha Shoal (JDS), as well as in the Jiangya Shoal (JYS), the Upper Shoal (US) and the Middle-Lower Shoal (MLS), show different response patterns to the DNC. Specifically, the south training jetty of the DNC has an “adsorption effect” on the JDS above the 2 m isobaths intersecting with it. As a result, the evolution track, geometric and geomorphological characteristics of the JDS were markedly altered in the short term. Our comprehensive analysis suggests that in the future, the JDS will become more elongated in both the upstream and downstream direction along the south training jetty, and that the south side of the JDS will be eroded.}, journal={Geomorphology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Li, Xing and Liu, J. Paul and Tian, Bo}, year={2016}, month={Jan}, pages={328–339} }
 @article{gao_liu_yang_liu_zhang_wang_2015, title={Evolution status of the distal mud deposit associated with the Pearl River, northern South China Sea continental shelf}, volume={114}, ISSN={1367-9120}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.JSEAES.2015.07.024}, DOI={10.1016/J.JSEAES.2015.07.024}, abstractNote={The sedimentary characteristics of distal mud deposits, a product of along shore transport of river-discharged suspended sediment, contain information on their different evolutionary stages. In the present study, the distal mud associated with the Pearl River, southern China, is investigated using the data sets obtained from seabed sediment sample analysis, shallow geophysical survey and 210Pb dating. The results indicate that although the mud deposit in consideration occupies an area of more than 8000 km2, the thickness is small with a young age (i.e., <102 yrs). Shallow seismic survey reveals that the Holocene strata have a thickness of around 10 m or less, with the lower layers being characterized by reworked deposits, rather than the distal mud deposits. The internal sedimentary structure shows that clinoforms are poorly developed. Compared with the distal muds of the Yangtze River (on the inner shelf of the East China Sea) and Yellow River (in the northern Yellow Sea), the distal mud here is still at its young stage. In contrast, those associated with the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers have already reached their growing and mature stages, respectively. This difference in the evolution stage is caused by the estuarine processes that control the timing and duration of the distal mud formation. Furthermore, since both river mouth deltas and distal mud deposits, at their mature stage, would be recognized as deltaic deposits in the geological record, it is necessary to establish appropriate criteria that can be used to distinguish between the two types of deposits. They contain different signals of sea level positions; hence, caution should be taken in interpreting the formation of “shelf edge deltas”, which have been found on the outer shelf regions of the South China Sea and in many places elsewhere.}, journal={Journal of Asian Earth Sciences}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Gao, Shu and Liu, Yunling and Yang, Yang and Liu, Paul J. and Zhang, Yongzhan and Wang, Ya Ping}, year={2015}, month={Dec}, pages={562–573} }
 @article{ge_liu_xue_chu_2014, title={Dispersal of the Zhujiang River (Pearl River) derived sediment in the Holocene}, volume={33}, ISSN={0253-505X 1869-1099}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/S13131-014-0407-8}, DOI={10.1007/S13131-014-0407-8}, number={8}, journal={Acta Oceanologica Sinica}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Ge, Qian and Liu, J. P. and Xue, Zuo and Chu, Fengyou}, year={2014}, month={Jan}, pages={1–9} }
 @article{zhou_liu_saito_liu_li_liu_gao_qiu_2014, title={Fluvial system development and subsequent marine transgression in Yellow River (Huanghe) delta and its adjacent sea regions during last glacial maximum to early Holocene}, volume={90}, ISSN={0278-4343}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.CSR.2014.06.012}, DOI={10.1016/J.CSR.2014.06.012}, abstractNote={Paleotopography of the Yellow River (Huanghe) delta area and the western Bohai Sea during the last glacial maximum (LGM) is important to understand fluvial activities of the Yellow River linked with the LGM climate. By integrating data sets of both onshore and offshore borehole cores and offshore high-resolution seismic profiles, we reconstructed the paleotopography of this area from the LGM to the early Holocene. The fluvial sediment facies of the LGM identified in these cores was characterized by poorly sorted medium- to coarse-grained sands, which shows chaotic patterns in seismic profiles. REE characteristics and clay mineral components of the fluvial sediments suggest that they were derived mostly from the paleo-Yellow River. The basal and top bounding surfaces of the fluvial sediments slope very gently toward the northeast, similar to the present morphology of the North China Plain formed by the Yellow River. No incised valley morphology is detected in the basal topography, because of the long distance from the study area to the paleoshoreline during the LGM, and also because of the very gentle gradient of the paleo-Yellow River from the northern part of North China Plain to the continental shelf area, with concave-upward morphology. Aggradational stacking of the fluvial sediments over the entire North China Plain and in the study area indicates that the Yellow River flowed in these areas during the LGM to the early Holocene. The Holocene marine and coastal sediments onlap onto the underlying fluvial sediments. These basal marine or brackish sediments are diachronous from offshore areas of the Bohai Sea to the Yellow River delta area, with older sediments in the east and younger sediments in the west, which clearly reflects the early Holocene marine transgression from the North Yellow Sea to the Bohai Sea.}, journal={Continental Shelf Research}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Zhou, Liangyong and Liu, Jian and Saito, Yoshiki and Liu, J. Paul and Li, Guangxue and Liu, Qingsong and Gao, Maosheng and Qiu, Jiandong}, year={2014}, month={Nov}, pages={117–132} }
 @article{gao_wang_liu_2014, title={Preface}, volume={90}, ISSN={0278-4343}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.CSR.2014.09.007}, DOI={10.1016/J.CSR.2014.09.007}, journal={Continental Shelf Research}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Gao, Shu and Wang, Hou-jie and Liu, J. Paul}, year={2014}, month={Nov}, pages={1} }
 @article{xue_liu_demaster_leithold_wan_ge_nguyen_ta_2014, title={Sedimentary processes on the Mekong subaqueous delta: Clay mineral and geochemical analysis}, volume={79}, ISSN={1367-9120}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2012.07.012}, DOI={10.1016/j.jseaes.2012.07.012}, abstractNote={Sedimentary processes on the inner Mekong Shelf were investigated by examining the characteristics of sediments sampled in gravity cores at 15 locations, including grain size, clay mineralogy, sediment accumulation rates, and the elemental and stable carbon isotopic composition of organic matter (atomic C/N ratios and δ13C). Deltaic deposits exhibit contrasting characteristics along different sides of the delta plain (South China Sea, SCS hereafter, to the east and Gulf of Thailand, GOT hereafter, to the west) as well as on and off the subaqueous deltaic system. On one hand, cores recovered from the subaqueous delta in the SCS/GOT are consisted of poorly/well sorted sediments with similar/different clay mineral assemblage with/from Mekong sediments. Excess 210Pb profiles, supported by 14C chronologies, indicate either “non-steady” (SCS side) or “rapid accumulation” (GOT side) processes on the subaqueous delta. The δ13C and C/N ratio indicate a mixture of terrestrial and marine-sourced organic matter in the deltaic sediment. On the other hand, cores recovered from areas with no deltaic deposits or seaward of the subaqueous delta show excess 210Pb profiles indicating “steady-state” accumulation with a greater proportion of marine-sourced organic matter. Core analysis’s relevance with local depositional environment and previous acoustic profiling are discussed.}, journal={Journal of Asian Earth Sciences}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Xue, Zuo and Liu, J. Paul and DeMaster, Dave and Leithold, Elana L. and Wan, Shiming and Ge, Qian and Nguyen, Van Lap and Ta, Thi Kim Oanh}, year={2014}, month={Jan}, pages={520–528} }
 @article{xia_zhang_wang_yin_wegmann_liu_2013, title={Evolution of sedimentary environments of the middle Jiangsu coast, South Yellow Sea since late MIS 3}, volume={23}, ISSN={1009-637X 1861-9568}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/S11442-013-1051-5}, DOI={10.1007/S11442-013-1051-5}, number={5}, journal={Journal of Geographical Sciences}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Xia, Fei and Zhang, Yongzhan and Wang, Qiang and Yin, Yong and Wegmann, Karl W. and Liu, J. Paul}, year={2013}, month={Aug}, pages={883–914} }
 @article{liu_kong_saito_liu_yang_wen_2013, title={Subaqueous deltaic formation of the Old Yellow River (AD 1128–1855) on the western South Yellow Sea}, volume={344}, ISSN={0025-3227}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.MARGEO.2013.07.003}, DOI={10.1016/J.MARGEO.2013.07.003}, abstractNote={The Yellow River presently flows into the Bohai Sea, but during the period AD 1128–1855, the river (called the Old Yellow River, OYR) flowed into the western South Yellow Sea (SYS), where the dispersal of its sediment load was controlled by the interactions among alongshore currents, waves and tides, and shelf morphology. In this study, high-resolution shallow seismic profiles, vibrocores, boreholes, and water depth data, which were obtained during geological surveys in the western SYS in recent years, are used to examine the depositional pattern and stratigraphic record related to the OYR entering the sea. Our data reveal compound clinoform morphologies (double clinoforms) – a subaerial/subaqueous delta couplet – sourced by the OYR in the western SYS. The subaerial delta comprises the currently onshore delta plain and deltafront extending to ~ 17 m in water depth, while the subaqueous delta is composed of a wide, gently inclined topset and a relatively narrow, steeply sloping foreset, stretching seaward about 160-km away from the shoreline and showing a morphological asymmetry with a generally southward deflection relative to the OYR mouth. The topset is 25–100-km wide in a shore-normal direction at water depths of 10–25 m, but is generally less than 4-m thick. The foreset is much narrower and thicker than the topset, is generally 5–30-km wide at 10–45 m water depth and is mostly 4–16-m thick with a maximum thickness of 20 m; it shows seaward-dipping internal reflectors (generally 0.3–0.5°). The rollover points (topset–foreset transition) of the subaqueous clinoform range mostly between 10 and 25 m water depth. Results of 210Pb and 137Cs geochronology indicate that maximum sediment accumulation rates (1.06 to 2.16 cm/yr) correspond to the foreset region, with much lower rates in the topset and surrounding shallow-sea regions (< 0.64 cm/yr). Marine erosion due to abandonment of the delta after 1855 and artificial dike building around the abandoned delta coast since the 1930s have impacted the sediment accumulation in the delta front in the subaerial delta and subaqueous delta. Estimates of sediment budget suggest that about 34–52% of the total load primarily from the OYR (> 97%) in AD 1128–1855 has accumulated on the subaerial delta, and that about 10–16% of the total load on the subaqueous delta. Our data also reveal that the subaqueous delta related to the OYR is underlain by a large-scale clinoform (broadly confined to ~ 2.5–9.8 cal kyr BP in age) as thick as 4–13 m with seaward-dipping lower angled (< 0.3°) internal reflectors in comparison to those in the overlying foreset deposits. Energetic marine hydrodynamics (waves, tides, and alongshore coastal-currents) and sufficient sediment supply from the OYR are interpreted to be responsible for the across-shelf subaqueous delta morphology.}, journal={Marine Geology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Liu, Jian and Kong, Xianghuai and Saito, Yoshiki and Liu, J. Paul and Yang, Zuosheng and Wen, Chun}, year={2013}, month={Oct}, pages={19–33} }
 @article{xue_he_liu_warner_2012, title={Modeling transport and deposition of the Mekong River sediment}, volume={37}, ISSN={0278-4343}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2012.02.010}, DOI={10.1016/j.csr.2012.02.010}, abstractNote={A Coupled Wave–Ocean–Sediment Transport Model was used to hindcast coastal circulation and fine sediment transport on the Mekong shelf in southeastern Asian in 2005. Comparisons with limited observations showed that the model simulation captured the regional patterns and temporal variability of surface wave, sea level, and suspended sediment concentration reasonably well. Significant seasonality in sediment transport was revealed. In summer, a large amount of fluvial sediments was delivered and deposited near the Mekong River mouth. In the following winter, strong ocean mixing, and coastal current lead to resuspension and southwestward dispersal of a small fraction of previously deposited sediments. Model sensitivity experiments (with reduced physics) were performed to investigate the impact of tides, waves, and remotely forced ambient currents on the transport and dispersal of the fluvial sediment. Strong wave mixing and downwelling-favorable coastal current associated with the more energetic northeast monsoon in the winter season are the main factors controlling the southwestward along-shelf transport.}, journal={Continental Shelf Research}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Xue, Zuo and He, Ruoying and Liu, J.Paul and Warner, John C.}, year={2012}, month={Apr}, pages={66–78} }
 @article{xu_li_liu_milliman_yang_liu_kao_wan_xu_2012, title={Provenance, structure, and formation of the mud wedge along inner continental shelf of the East China Sea: A synthesis of the Yangtze dispersal system}, volume={291-294}, ISSN={0025-3227}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2011.06.003}, DOI={10.1016/j.margeo.2011.06.003}, abstractNote={Surficial grain-size and down-core clay mineralogical data show that sediment along the inner-most part of the continental shelf in East China Sea is mainly derived from the Yangtze River (Changjiang), spanning from the Yangtze mouth (33°N) ~ 1000 km southward to the southwestern corner of the Taiwan Strait (24°N). High-resolution CHIRP seismic profiles reveal an elongated mud wedge extending along the inner shelf, with a northern depocenter on the modern Yangtze delta and a southern depocenter at 27.5°N. Four distinct acoustic units are delineated within the mud wedge (from bottom up): unit I (late-Pleistocene, mainly valley fills), unit II (formed by transgressions, thin strata), unit III (11–2 kyr BP, downlapping strata) and unit IV (2–0 kyr BP, flat and opaque strata). Incised valleys, up to 15-m deep, are filled by flat-lying or inclined strata in unit I. The thin (< 3 m) and acoustically transparent unit II is only seen between 30 and 26°N in water depths between 40 and 90 m. Separated by acoustically opaque strata or unconformities, units III and IV are widely distributed. During the past 11 kyr Yangtze sediment accumulation has been unsteady, showing two high and one low accumulation-rate periods. The high-accumulation period at 5–8 kyr BP may be related to maximum East Asian summer monsoon precipitation in the Yangtze basin; the other high-accumulation period, 0–2 kyr BP, probably reflects intensive human activities in the river's watershed. The low-accumulation-rate period at 2–5 kyr BP, which is seen in both northern and southern Yangtze depocenters, is probably related to low river discharge and/or intensified Taiwan Warm Current and China Coastal Current.}, journal={Marine Geology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Xu, Kehui and Li, Anchun and Liu, J. Paul and Milliman, John D. and Yang, Zuosheng and Liu, Char-Shine and Kao, Shuh-Ji and Wan, Shiming and Xu, Fangjian}, year={2012}, month={Jan}, pages={176–191} }
 @article{xue_liu_ge_2011, title={Changes in hydrology and sediment delivery of the Mekong River in the last 50 years: connection to damming, monsoon, and ENSO}, volume={36}, ISSN={0197-9337}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/esp.2036}, DOI={10.1002/esp.2036}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={3}, journal={Earth Surface Processes and Landforms}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Xue, Zuo and Liu, J. Paul and Ge, Qian}, year={2011}, month={Feb}, pages={296–308} }
 @article{qiao_yang_liu_sun_xiang_shi_fan_saito_2011, title={Records of late-Holocene East Asian winter monsoon in the East China Sea: Key grain-size component of quartz versus bulk sediments}, volume={230}, ISSN={1040-6182}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2010.01.020}, DOI={10.1016/j.quaint.2010.01.020}, abstractNote={Quartz isolated from bulk sediments taken from a core obtained from the distal mud area in the outer shelf of the East China Sea was used as a proxy in order to determine the strength of the East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM). This data was compared with the grain-size of bulk sediment from the same core. It was found that the content of the key quartz-based indicator fraction (15.2–65.6 μm) correlated well with the EAWM strength. With reference to current conditions, high content of quartz in the selected fraction reflected strong EAWM and vice-versa. The core record spanned 2100 years, and three periods of change in EAWM strength were identified. A period of increased EAWM strength prior to 1520 cal. BP was followed by a period of weakened EAWM strength from 1520 to 720 cal. BP, which is consistent with the Sui-Tang Warm Period and the Medieval Warm Period. This is followed by a period of slightly increased EAWM between 720 and 220 cal. BP, which corresponds to what is called the Little Ice Age. The history of EAWM revealed by the quartz-based proxy is in striking agreement with results from a previous study on bulk sediment-based proxy. However, the quartz-based proxy showed much higher sensitivity and resolution to the EAWM strength, and displayed much more distinct and sharper boundaries of transition across the three intervals of EAWM change compared to the bulk sediment records. Eleven short EAWM strengthening periods were found, compared with four by the bulk sediment-based proxy. Therefore, this suggests that the quartz grain-size proxy is a superior indicator of the winter monsoon strength in the study area.}, number={1-2}, journal={Quaternary International}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Qiao, Shuqing and Yang, Zuosheng and Liu, Jingpu and Sun, Xiaoxia and Xiang, Rong and Shi, Xuefa and Fan, Dejiang and Saito, Yoshiki}, year={2011}, month={Jan}, pages={106–114} }
 @article{xue_liu_demaster_van nguyen_ta_2010, title={Late Holocene Evolution of the Mekong Subaqueous Delta, Southern Vietnam}, volume={269}, ISSN={0025-3227}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2009.12.005}, DOI={10.1016/j.margeo.2009.12.005}, abstractNote={As Asia's third largest river, with regard to sediment load, the Mekong River delivers approximately 160 million tons of sediment per year to the South China Sea. High-resolution seismic profiling and coring during 2006 and 2007 cruises revealed a low gradient, subaqueous delta system, up to 20 m thick, surrounding the modern Mekong River Delta (MRD) in the west of the South China Sea. Based on clinoform structure, grain size, 210Pb, AMS 14C, and δ13C results, the subaqueous delta is divided into four zones defined by different sedimentary processes and depositional features. Over the past 3000 yr, the evolution of the MRD has shown a morphological asymmetry indicated by a large down-drift area and a rapid progradation around Cape Camau, ∼ 200 km downstream from the river mouth. This asymmetric feature is consistent with increased wave influence. The strong southwestward coastal current, strengthened by the strong NE monsoon, plays an important role locally in longshore transport of resuspended sediments into the Gulf of Thailand. A late Holocene sediment budget for the MRD has been determined, based on the area and thickness of deltaic sediment. Approximately 80% of Mekong delivered sediment has been trapped within the delta area, which, together with a falling sea-level, resulted in a rapidly prograding MRD over the past 3000 yr.}, number={1-2}, journal={Marine Geology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Xue, Zuo and Liu, J. Paul and DeMaster, Dave and Van Nguyen, Lap and Ta, Thi Kim Oanh}, year={2010}, month={Feb}, pages={46–60} }
 @article{ge_chu_xue_liu_du_fang_2010, title={Paleoenvironmental records from the northern South China Sea since the Last Glacial Maximum}, volume={29}, ISSN={0253-505X 1869-1099}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/S13131-010-0036-9}, DOI={10.1007/S13131-010-0036-9}, number={3}, journal={Acta Oceanologica Sinica}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Ge, Qian and Chu, Fengyou and Xue, Zuo and Liu, J. Paul and Du, Yuansheng and Fang, Yinxia}, year={2010}, month={May}, pages={46–62} }
 @article{chu_zhai_lu_liu_xu_xu_2009, title={A quantitative assessment of human impacts on decrease in sediment flux from major Chinese rivers entering the western Pacific Ocean}, volume={36}, ISSN={0094-8276}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2009GL039513}, DOI={10.1029/2009GL039513}, abstractNote={Major rivers with high sediment or water discharge act as natural integrators of surficial processes, including human activities within their drainage basins, and they are also the primary sources of terrestrial materials entering the ocean. The river‐derived materials flux entering the coastal oceans, however, has been strongly affected by anthropogenic activities. Recent studies related to human impacts on river sediment flux have mainly focused on qualitative descriptions. Here we present a quantitative assessment of human impacts on decrease in sediment flux from nine major Chinese rivers entering the western Pacific Ocean, including Changjiang (Yangtze), Huanghe (Yellow), Zhujiang (Pearl), Songhuajiang, Liaohe, Haihe, Huaihe, Qiantangjiang, and Minjiang. During 1959–2007, dams and reservoirs, soil and water conservation programs, water consumption, as well as sand mining decreased the amount of sediment delivered to the ocean by 28, 11.5, 7.5 and 3 gigatons (Gt), respectively. If combined (50 Gt for the period 1959–2007), this reduction was close to the total decreased sediment flux (43 Gt) measured from these nine major rivers over the same period. Besides, the temporal variations in water and sediment fluxes into the ocean from these rivers generally during 1953–2007 were presented. These results are useful for further studies on Chinese and even global river‐derived material flux to the ocean and associated ecological risks.}, number={19}, journal={Geophysical Research Letters}, publisher={American Geophysical Union (AGU)}, author={Chu, Z. X. and Zhai, S. K. and Lu, X. X. and Liu, J. P. and Xu, J. X. and Xu, K. H.}, year={2009}, month={Oct} }
 @article{yu_liu_berné_jia_xiong_dickens_wei_shi_liu_chen_2009, title={Variations in temperature and salinity of the surface water above the middle Okinawa Trough during the past 37kyr}, volume={281}, ISSN={0031-0182}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.08.002}, DOI={10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.08.002}, abstractNote={East China Sea (ECS) is an important climate modulator of East Asia. In the last glacial period, the global sea level, the path and strength of the Kuroshio Current experienced great changes; combined with the variable volume of fresh run-off input, they made the hydrographic situation in the ECS quite different from nowadays. Based on high-resolution alkenone-sea surface temperature (SST) and oxygen isotope composition of planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides sacculifer we reconstructed paleo-sea surface salinity (SSS) of a long piston core DGKS9604 retrieved from the middle Okinawa Trough of the eastern ECS. The δ18O and SST records display significant variations with global ice volume. Synchrony of the millennial-scale climate events like YD and Heinrich events of core DGKS9604 to the ice core from the northern high latitudes, and the synchroneity of deglacial warming with the Bølling–Allerød warming suggests a strong coupling of the SST variations in the marginal Pacific Ocean to the climate of the North Atlantic, most likely through the Asian monsoon atmospheric circulation. The ECS documents lowest SST (22 °C) at ~ 26 cal kyr BP and ~ 3 °C SST difference between the full glaciation (26 to 19 cal kyr BP) and mid-to-late Holocene (6 cal kyr BP–present). The overall long-term hydrographic variations in the middle Okinawa Trough are controlled by temporal and spatial variations in: (i) the intensity and position of the Kuroshio Current, (ii) intensity of the Asian summer monsoon and (iii) sea-level fluctuations coupled with ECS topography. Saline surface water dominated over the middle Okinawa Trough during early pre-glaciation (37 to 31 cal kyr BP), last deglaciation (19 to 11.6 cal kyr BP), and mid-to-late Holocene (6 cal kyr BP–present), whilst freshened surface water prevailed during the late pre-glaciation (31 to 26 cal kyr BP), full glaciation (26 to 19 cal kyr BP) and early Holocene (11.6 to 6 cal kyr BP).}, number={1-2}, journal={Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Yu, Hua and Liu, Zhenxia and Berné, Serge and Jia, Guodong and Xiong, Yingqian and Dickens, Gerald R. and Wei, Gangjian and Shi, Xuefa and Liu, J.Paul and Chen, Fajin}, year={2009}, month={Oct}, pages={154–164} }
 @article{xu_milliman_li_paul liu_kao_wan_2009, title={Yangtze- and Taiwan-derived sediments on the inner shelf of East China Sea}, volume={29}, ISSN={0278-4343}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2009.08.017}, DOI={10.1016/j.csr.2009.08.017}, abstractNote={X-ray diffraction (XRD) mineralogical and grain-size analyses indicate that inner continental shelf sediments in the East China Sea (ECS) represent a unique mixing of clays derived from the Yangtze River and silts/sands from small western Taiwanese rivers. Taiwanese (e.g., Choshui) clays (<2 μm) display no smectite but the best illite crystallinity and are only distributed along southeastern Taiwan Strait. Both Yangtze and Taiwanese river clays are illite-dominated, but the poor illite crystallinity and the presence of smectite and kaolinite indicate that Taiwan Strait clays are mainly Yangtze-dominated. In contrast, medium silts (20–35 μm) and very fine sands (63–90 μm) in the Taiwan Strait are characterized by low feldspar/quartz, low K-feldspar/plagioclase and high kaolinite/quartz, indicating their provenance from Taiwanese rivers. Taiwanese silts and sands are introduced primarily by the way of typhoon-derived floods and transported northward by the Taiwan Warm Current during summer–fall months. Yangtze clays, in contrast, are widely dispersed southward about 1000 km to the western Taiwan Strait, transported by the China Coastal Current during winter–spring months. Since most Taiwan Strait samples were collected in May 2006, clay results in this paper might only represent the winter–spring pattern of the dispersal of Yangtze sediments.}, number={18}, journal={Continental Shelf Research}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Xu, Kehui and Milliman, John D. and Li, Anchun and Paul Liu, J. and Kao, Shuh-Ji and Wan, Shiming}, year={2009}, month={Oct}, pages={2240–2256} }
 @article{liu_liu_xu_milliman_chiu_kao_lin_2008, title={Flux and fate of small mountainous rivers derived sediments into the Taiwan Strait}, volume={256}, ISSN={0025-3227}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2008.09.007}, DOI={10.1016/j.margeo.2008.09.007}, abstractNote={High-resolution CHIRP sonar profiles across the Taiwan Strait reveal a large silt–sand-dominated deltaic clinoform, up to 50-m thick, overlying the postglacial transgressive sea floor across the southeastern, central, and northern strait. Delta-like configuration and internal depositional sequences indicate a northwestward progradation from western Taiwan, primarily from the Choshui (Zhuoshui) River. Grain-size and mineral data confirm the sediment's Taiwanese derivation. The CHIRP profiles, together with existing radiocarbon and geomagnetic dates, suggest that the clinoform has formed over the past 10 kyr. The estimated volume of 375 km3 of sediment (mainly sand and silt) suggests a mean annual accumulation of 60 × 106 t/yr. Presumably much of fine mud delivered by Taiwanese rivers has been washed away by the local currents, and escaped either northeastward into the Southern Okinawa Trough or southward into the South China Sea. Numerous shallow borings onshore over the central western Taiwan coastal plain reveal an additional 350 km3 of fluvial sediment that has accumulated over the past 10 kyr. The combined onshore–offshore Holocene accumulation, together with an unknown amount of finer sediment that escapes the system, indicates that the long-term sediment flux from Western Taiwanese rivers exceeds 100 × 106 t/yr, which is not different from the present-day combined annual discharges from the Choshui, Tsengwen, Ehrjen and Wu rivers into the Taiwan Strait.}, number={1-4}, journal={Marine Geology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Liu, J.P. and Liu, C.S. and Xu, K.H. and Milliman, J.D. and Chiu, J.K. and Kao, S.J. and Lin, S.W.}, year={2008}, month={Dec}, pages={65–76} }
 @article{wang_liu_zhao_2008, title={Holocene depocenter shift in the middle-lower Changjiang River basins and coastal area in response to sea level change}, volume={2}, ISSN={1673-7385 1673-7490}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/S11707-008-0017-X}, DOI={10.1007/S11707-008-0017-X}, number={1}, journal={Frontiers of Earth Science in China}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Wang, Zhanghua and Liu, Jingpu and Zhao, Baocheng}, year={2008}, month={Mar}, pages={17–26} }
 @article{wang_yang_wang_saito_liu_2008, title={Reconstruction of sediment flux from the Changjiang (Yangtze River) to the sea since the 1860s}, volume={349}, ISSN={0022-1694}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2007.11.005}, DOI={10.1016/j.jhydrol.2007.11.005}, abstractNote={The Changjiang (Yangtze River) has been effectively gauged since the 1950s and demonstrates the transformation of a river system due to intensified human activities in its drainage basin over the past 50 yr. However, the 50-yr measurements of water and sediment are inadequate to show the long-term trend of sediment flux from the river to the sea or to capture the transition from natural to human dominance over the sediment flux. In this study we used the existing water discharge and sediment load records (1950s–2005) at the Hankou gauging station, together with water discharge recorded since 1865 at the same station, to reconstruct the changes of sediment flux to the sea since the 1860s. We established rating curves between stream discharge and suspended sediment concentration from the recent 50-yr data sets, which show that human disturbances have had a substantial impact on rating parameters. The commissioning of dams and undertaking of soil-conservation works have decreased sediment supply, leading to a decrease in the rating coefficient a of the rating curve equation Cs = aQb. The decreases in suspended sediment concentration have increased the erosive power of the river, and hence increased the rating exponent b. In particular, the commissioning of the Three Gorges Reservoir in 2003 resulted in a further increase of b, and channel scour in the middle and lower reaches has increased sediment flux to the sea to a level higher than sediment supply from the upper reaches. Our results suggest that the rating curves derived from 1954 to 1968 data are appropriate for estimating sediment loads for the period from 1865 to 1953, since both were periods of minimal human disturbance. This approach provides a time series of sediment loads from 1865 to 2005 at Hankou gauging station, which yields a time series of sediment flux from the Changjiang to the sea over the past 140 yr. The estimated mean annual sediment flux to the sea between 1865 and 1968 was ∼488 Mt/yr, a comparable result to the previously published estimate from Milliman and Syvitski [Milliman, J.D., Syvitski, J.P.M., 1992. Geomorphic/tectonic control of sediment discharge to the ocean: the importance of small mountainous rivers. Journal of Geology 100, 525–544] and to that from an equation proposed by Syvitski and Morehead [Syvitski, J.P.M, Morehead, M.D., 1999. Estimating river-sediment discharge to the ocean: application to the Eel margin, northern California. Marine Geology 154, 13–28]. The long-term variation of annual sediment flux from the Changjiang to the sea shows a transition from a river system mostly dominated by nature (the monsoon-dominated period, 1865–1950s) to one strongly affected by human activities (the human-impacted period, 1950s–present).}, number={3-4}, journal={Journal of Hydrology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Wang, Houjie and Yang, Zuosheng and Wang, Yan and Saito, Yoshiki and Liu, J. Paul}, year={2008}, month={Feb}, pages={318–332} }
 @article{yang_liu_2007, title={A unique Yellow River-derived distal subaqueous delta in the Yellow Sea}, volume={240}, ISSN={0025-3227}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2007.02.008}, DOI={10.1016/j.margeo.2007.02.008}, abstractNote={Newly acquired high-resolution Chirp sonar profiles reveal a unique Yellow River-derived, alongshore distributed, bidirectional (landward and seaward) across-shelf transported, omega-shaped (“Ω”) distal subaqueous deltaic lobe deposited around the eastern tip of the Shandong Peninsula in the Yellow Sea. This clinoform deposit directly overlies the postglacial transgressive surface, featured by convex-up seafloor morphology, up to 40 m thick locally. Radiocarbon-14 dates from the underlain pre-Holocene and transgressive sediments indicate this distal lobe has formed since the middle-Holocene highstand under a relatively stable sea level. This along-shelf distributed distal clinoform has been deposited mainly by the resuspended Yellow River sediments carried down by the coastal current, interacting with the local waves, tides and upwelling. Collectively, over the past 7000 years, nearly 30% of the Yellow River-derived sediment has been re-suspended and transported out of the Bohai Sea into the Yellow Sea. Overall, the Yellow River-derived sediment could reach the − 80 m water depth in the central South Yellow Sea, about 700 km from the river mouth; in contrast, a very small fraction of the modern riverine sediment could escape the outer shelf or reach the Okinawa Trough.}, number={1-4}, journal={Marine Geology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Yang, Z.S. and Liu, J.P.}, year={2007}, month={Jun}, pages={169–176} }
 @article{liu_xu_li_milliman_velozzi_xiao_yang_2007, title={Flux and fate of Yangtze River sediment delivered to the East China Sea}, volume={85}, ISSN={0169-555X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.03.023}, DOI={10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.03.023}, abstractNote={Numerous cores and dating show the Yangtze River has accumulated about 1.16 × 1012 t sediment in its delta plain and proximal subaqueous delta during Holocene. High-resolution seismic profiling and coring in the southern East China Sea during 2003 and 2004 cruises has revealed an elongated (∼ 800 km) distal subaqueous mud wedge extending from the Yangtze River mouth southward off the Zhejiang and Fujian coasts into the Taiwan Strait. Overlying what appears to be a transgressive sand layer, this distal clinoform thins offshore, from ∼ 40 m thickness between the 20 and 30 m water depth to < 1–2 m between 60 and 90 m water depth, corresponding to an across shelf distance of less than 100 km. Total volume of this distal mud wedge is about 4.5 × 1011 m3, equivalent to ∼ 5.4 × 1011 t of sediment. Most of the sediment in this mud wedge comes from the Yangtze River, with some input presumably coming from local smaller rivers. Thus, the total Yangtze-derived sediments accumulated in its deltaic system and East China Sea inner shelf have amounted to about 1.7 × 1012 t. Preliminary analyses suggest this longshore and across-shelf transported clinoform mainly formed in the past 7000 yrs after postglacial sea level reached its mid-Holocene highstand, and after re-intensification of the Chinese longshore current system. Sedimentation accumulation apparently increased around 2000 yrs BP, reflecting the evolution of the Yangtze estuary and increased land erosion due to human activities, such as farming and deforestation. The southward-flowing China Coastal Current, the northward-flowing Taiwan Warm Current, and the Kuroshio Current appear to have played critical roles in transporting and trapping most of Yangtze-derived materials in the inner shelf, and hence preventing the sediment escape into the deep ocean.}, number={3-4}, journal={Geomorphology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Liu, J.P. and Xu, K.H. and Li, A.C. and Milliman, J.D. and Velozzi, D.M. and Xiao, S.B. and Yang, Z.S.}, year={2007}, month={Mar}, pages={208–224} }
 @article{liu_berné_saito_yu_trentesaux_uehara_yin_paul liu_li_hu_et al._2007, title={Internal architecture and mobility of tidal sand ridges in the East China Sea}, volume={27}, ISSN={0278-4343}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2007.03.002}, DOI={10.1016/j.csr.2007.03.002}, abstractNote={On the basis of bathymetric and seismic data and data from piston cores collected by the Chinese–French marine geology and geophysics investigation of 1996, we discuss the internal architecture and mobility of tidal sand ridges in the East China Sea (ECS). We characterized the sand ridges on the middle to outer shelf of the ECS as tide-dominated sand ridges with southwest dipping beds, indicating that the regional net sediment transport is toward the southwest. As the sand ridges gradually migrate toward the southwest, new sand ridges are continually replacing old ones, and several generations of sand ridges have developed in the study area. High-resolution seismic data, acoustic Doppler current profiler data, and two 14C-dated piston cores, DGKS9614 and DGKS9612—from a sand ridge swale and crest, respectively—show that these sand ridges, which are at water depths of 90–100 m, have been migrating for the last ca. 2–3 kyr at least, though these ridges have previously been interpreted as moribund or relict. Sequence stratigraphic interpretation of seismic profiles and core data show that tidal ridges in the ECS evolved from muddier sand ridges formed during the last transgression to sandier shelf sand ridges in response to the shoreline retreat, which resulted in a decrease of riverine muddy sediments and recycling of sandy materials by tidal currents. Most active sand ridge formation occurred during the last transgression, but the present sand ridges on the middle to outer shelf are still being influenced by the modern hydrodynamics. Therefore, these sand ridges on the ECS shelf should be referred to as “quasi-active sand ridges” rather than as moribund or relict sand ridges.}, number={13}, journal={Continental Shelf Research}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Liu, Zhenxia and Berné, Serge and Saito, Yoshiki and Yu, Hua and Trentesaux, Alain and Uehara, Katsuto and Yin, Ping and Paul Liu, J. and Li, Chaoxing and Hu, Guanghai and et al.}, year={2007}, month={Jul}, pages={1820–1834} }
 @article{wang_yang_saito_liu_sun_wang_2007, title={Stepwise decreases of the Huanghe (Yellow River) sediment load (1950–2005): Impacts of climate change and human activities}, volume={57}, ISSN={0921-8181}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2007.01.003}, DOI={10.1016/j.gloplacha.2007.01.003}, abstractNote={The sediment load delivered from the Huanghe (Yellow River) to the sea has decreased sharply to 0.15 × 109 metric tons per year (0.15 Gt/yr) between 2000 and 2005, and now represents only 14% of the widely cited estimate of 1.08 Gt/yr. The river seems to be reverting to the pristine levels characteristic of the middle Holocene, prior to human intervention. Datasets from 1950 to 2005 from four key gauging stations in the main stream reveal distinct stepwise decreases in sediment load, which are attributed to both natural and anthropogenic impacts over the past 56 yr. Completions of two reservoirs, Liujiaxia (1968) and Longyangxia (1985), in the upper reaches of the river and their joint operations have resulted in stepwise decreases in sediment load coming from the upper reaches. Effective soil conservation practices in the middle reaches since the late 1970s, combined with the operation of the Sanmenxia and Xiaolangdi reservoirs, have also caused stepwise decreases in sediment load at Huayuankou in the middle reaches, but the decrease differs from that observed in the upper reaches. Decrease in precipitation is responsible for 30% of the decrease in sediment load at Huayuankou, while the remaining 70% is ascribed to human activities in the river basin, of which soil conservation practices contribute 40% to the total decrease. Sediment retention within reservoirs accounts for 20% of the total sediment load decrease, although there was notable sediment retention within the Xiaolangdi reservoir from 2000 to 2005. The remaining 10% of the decrease in sediment load is a result of the operation of reservoirs in the upper reaches. In the lower reaches, 20% of the sediment passing Huayuankou has been lost as a result of channel deposition and water abstraction. Soil conservation practices and the operation of reservoirs have lowered the content of coarser sediment (D > 0.05 mm) at Huayuankou, and reduced channel deposition in the lower reaches. In contrast, sediment loss owing to water abstraction in the lower reaches has increased considerably as water consumption for agricultural needs has increased. Therefore, the combined effects of climate change and human activities in the upper, middle, and lower reaches have resulted in stepwise decreases in the sediment load delivered from the Huanghe to the sea. The Huanghe provides an excellent example of the altered river systems impacted by climate change and extensive human activities over the past 56 yr. Further dramatic decreases in sediment load and water discharge in the Huanghe will trigger profound geological, morphological, ecological, and biogeochemical responses in the estuary, delta, and coastal sea.}, number={3-4}, journal={Global and Planetary Change}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Wang, Houjie and Yang, Zuosheng and Saito, Yoshiki and Liu, J. Paul and Sun, Xiaoxia and Wang, Yan}, year={2007}, month={Jun}, pages={331–354} }
 @article{xiao_li_liu_chen_xie_jiang_li_xiang_chen_2006, title={Coherence between solar activity and the East Asian winter monsoon variability in the past 8000 years from Yangtze River-derived mud in the East China Sea}, volume={237}, ISSN={0031-0182}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2005.12.003}, DOI={10.1016/j.palaeo.2005.12.003}, abstractNote={AMS14C dating and grain-size analysis for Core PC-6, located in the middle of a mud area on the inner shelf of the East China Sea (ECS), were used to rebuild the Holocene history of the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). The 7.5-m core recorded the history of environmental changes during the postglacial transgression. The core’s mud section (the upper 450 cm) has been formed mainly by suspended sediment delivered from the Yangtze River mouth by the ECS Winter Coastal Current (ECSWCC) since 7.6 kyr BP. Using a mathematical method called “grain size vs. standard deviation”, we can divide the Core PC-6’s grain-size distribution into two populations at about 28 μm. The fine population (< 28 μm) is considered to be transported by the ECSWCC as suspended loads. Content of the fine population changes little and represents a stable sedimentary environment in accord with the present situation. Thus, variation of mean grain-size from the fine population would reflect the strength of ECSWCC, which is mainly controlled by the East Asian winter monsoon. Abrupt increasing mean grain size in the mud section is inferred to be transported by sudden strengthened ECSWCC, which was caused by the strengthened EAWM. Thus, the high resolution mean grain-size variation might serve as a proxy for reconstruction of the EAWM. A good correlation between sunspot change and the mean grain-size of suspended fine population suggests that one of the primary controls on centennial- to decadal-scale changes of the EAWM in the past 8 ka is the variations of sun irradiance, i.e., the EAWM will increase in intensity when the number of sunspots decreases. Spectral analyses of the mean grain-size time series of Core PC-6 show statistically significant periodicities centering on 2463, 1368, 128, 106, 100, 88-91, 76-78, and 70-72 years. The EAWM and the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) agree with each other well on these cycles, and the East Asian Monsoon (EAM) and the Indian Monsoon also share in concurrent cycles in Holocene, which are in accord with the changes of the sun irradiance.}, number={2-4}, journal={Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Xiao, Shangbin and Li, Anchun and Liu, J. Paul and Chen, Muhong and Xie, Qiang and Jiang, Fuqing and Li, Tiegang and Xiang, Rong and Chen, Zhong}, year={2006}, month={Aug}, pages={293–304} }
 @article{wang_yang_saito_liu_sun_2006, title={Interannual and seasonal variation of the Huanghe (Yellow River) water discharge over the past 50 years: Connections to impacts from ENSO events and dams}, volume={50}, ISSN={0921-8181}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2006.01.005}, DOI={10.1016/j.gloplacha.2006.01.005}, abstractNote={The Huanghe, the second largest river in China, is now under great pressure as a water resource. Using datasets of river water discharge, water consumption and regional precipitation for the past 50 years, we elucidate some connections between decreasing water discharges, global El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events and anthropogenic impacts in the drainage basin. Global ENSO events, which directly affected the regional precipitation in the river basin, resulted in approximately 51% decrease in river water discharge to the sea. The degree of anthropogenic impacts on river water discharge is now as great as that of natural influences, accelerating the water losses in the hydrological cycle. The large dams and reservoirs regulated the water discharge and reduced the peak flows by storing the water in the flood season and releasing it in the dry season as needed for agricultural irrigation. Thus, as a result, large dams and reservoirs have shifted the seasonal distribution patterns of water discharge and water consumption and finally resulted in rapidly increasing water consumption. Meanwhile, the annual distribution pattern of water consumption also changed under the regulation of dams and reservoirs, indicating that the people living in the river basin consume the water more and more to suit actual agricultural schedule rather than depending upon natural pattern of annual precipitation. The combination of the increasing water consumption facilitated by the dams and reservoirs and the decreasing precipitation closely associated with the global ENSO events over the past half century has resulted in water scarcity in this world-famous river, as well as in a number of subsequent serious results for the river, delta and coastal ocean.}, number={3-4}, journal={Global and Planetary Change}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Wang, Houjie and Yang, Zuosheng and Saito, Yoshiki and Liu, J. Paul and Sun, Xiaoxia}, year={2006}, month={Apr}, pages={212–225} }
 @article{liu_li_xu_velozzi_yang_milliman_demaster_2006, title={Sedimentary features of the Yangtze River-derived along-shelf clinoform deposit in the East China Sea}, volume={26}, ISSN={0278-4343}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2006.07.013}, DOI={10.1016/j.csr.2006.07.013}, abstractNote={A predominant sigmoidal clinoform deposit extends from the Yangtze River mouth southwards 800 km along the Chinese coast. This clinoform is thickest (∼40 m) between the 20 and 30 m isobaths and progressively thins offshore, reaching water depths of 60 and 90 m and distances up to 100 km offshore. Clay mineral, heavy metal, geochemical and grain-size analyses indicate that the Yangtze River is the primary source for this longshore-transported clinoform deposit. 210Pb chronologies show the highest accumulation rates (>3 cm/yr) occur immediately adjacent to the Yangtze subaqueous delta (north of 30 °N), decreasing southward alongshore and eastward offshore. The interaction of strong tides, waves, the China Coastal Current, winter storms, and offshore upwelling appear to have played important roles in trapping most Yangtze-derived sediment on the inner shelf and transporting it to the south.}, number={17-18}, journal={Continental Shelf Research}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Liu, J.P. and Li, A.C. and Xu, K.H. and Velozzi, D.M. and Yang, Z.S. and Milliman, J.D. and DeMaster, D.J.}, year={2006}, month={Nov}, pages={2141–2156} }
 @article{liu_milliman_gao_cheng_2004, title={Holocene development of the Yellow River's subaqueous delta, North Yellow Sea}, volume={209}, ISSN={0025-3227}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2004.06.009}, DOI={10.1016/j.margeo.2004.06.009}, abstractNote={High-resolution seismic profiles from the North Yellow Sea reveal a 20–40-m-thick subaqueous clinoform delta that wraps around the eastern end of the Shandong Peninsula, extending into the South Yellow Sea. This complex sigmoidal-oblique clinoform, containing an estimated 400 km3 of sediment, overlies prominent relict transgressive surfaces. The nearshore topset of the clinoform, <30-m water depth, has a ≪1:1000 gradient, with high sedimentation rates (210Pb) ∼6–12 mm/year. Foreset beds (30–50 m) dip seaward at a steeper gradient (2:1000) and have sedimentation rates ∼3 mm/year. Bottomset strata, in water depths >50 m, contain less than 1 m of Holocene sediment, with low sedimentation rates, <1 mm/year. In contrast to other clinoforms, the Shandong clinoform appears to be a compound subaqueous deltaic system, with what we interpret to be proximal and distal phases of clinoform development. The underlying proximal sequence formed proximally between ∼11 and 9.2 ka in response to a temporary pause in the rapid postglacial sea-level rise after the meltwater pulse 1B (MWP-1B) and increased discharge from the Yellow River to the North Yellow Sea due to intensification of the summer monsoon. A flooding surface appears to separate the proximal and distal phases, corresponding to the next rapid sea-level rise 9.5–9.2 ka BP (MWP-1C). Since 9.2 ka BP, an overlying distal sedimentary sequence has accumulated, reflecting the back-stepping and shifting river mouth westward to the Gulf of Bohai. Some inputs from coastal erosion and nearby small streams may be locally important. Along-shore transport, cross-shelf advection, and upwelling in the North Yellow Sea have reworked post-LGM sediment and have helped maintain the morphology of the clinoform in the Shandong mud wedge.}, number={1-4}, journal={Marine Geology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Liu, J.Paul and Milliman, John D. and Gao, Shu and Cheng, Peng}, year={2004}, month={Aug}, pages={45–67} }
 @article{liu_milliman_2004, title={Reconsidering melt-water pulses 1A and 1B: Global impacts of rapid sea-level rise}, volume={3}, ISSN={1672-5182 1993-5021}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/S11802-004-0033-8}, DOI={10.1007/S11802-004-0033-8}, number={2}, journal={Journal of Ocean University of China}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Liu, J. Paul and Milliman, John D.}, year={2004}, month={Oct}, pages={183–190} }