Grain size and geochemistry of surface sediments in northwestern continental shelf of the South China Sea

AbstractGrain-size analyses, coupled with end-member modelling, have been performed on the terrigenous fraction of two Leg 184 Ocean Drilling Program sites (1144 and 1146) from the South China Sea. The grain-size distributions over the last 1.8 Ma enable a new interpretation of their connections to sea-level variations and East Asian monsoon strength. Previous investigations in this area have associated grain-size variability with enhanced eolian input during glacial stages. End-member modelling downgrades the importance of this eolian contribution and indicates that the sediments can be described as a mixture of three end-members: fluvial mud inputs, shelf reworking and river mouth migration. Grain-size variations in the Pleistocene section of the cores indicate a multiple-stage evolution: (i) from 1.8 to 1.25 Ma, the downcore grain-size variations are low but show a correspondence between monsoon rainfall intensity and the fine grain-sized fluvial inputs; no link with sea-level variations is noticeable; (ii) from 1.25 to 0.9 Ma, there is an increase (decrease) in the intermediate (fine) end-member (∼ 100 kyr cycle) that is associated with the onset of a stronger summer monsoon and modest shelf reworking; (iii) from 0.9 to 0 Ma the grain-size record is dominated by global sea-level variations; each glacial stage is associated with extensive shelf reworking and conveyance of coarse particles to the basin.

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The spatial distribution of major and trace elements of surface sediments in the northeastern Beibu Gulf of the South China Sea

Acta Oceanologica Sinica ◽

10.1007/s13131-019-1402-x ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 93-102 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Qian Ge ◽

George Z. Xue ◽

Liming Ye ◽

Dong Xu ◽

Jianru Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Trace Elements ◽

Spatial Distribution ◽

South China Sea ◽

South China ◽

Surface Sediments ◽

Major And Trace Elements ◽

The South China Sea ◽

Beibu Gulf ◽

The South ◽

China Sea

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Should the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands Be Classified as Islands or Rocks? An Examination in Light of the South China Sea Arbitration Award

The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law ◽

10.1163/15718085-23341002 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 325-349

Author(s):

Fayokemi Ayodeji Olorundami

Keyword(s):

South China Sea ◽

Continental Shelf ◽

South China ◽

Legal Status ◽

The Philippines ◽

The South China Sea ◽

The South ◽

China Sea ◽

Dash Line ◽

Senkaku Islands

Abstract In July 2016, an Arbitral Tribunal handed down its award in the South China Sea dispute between the Philippines and China. In addition to considering the legal status of the controversial nine-dash line, the Tribunal also provided the first judicial interpretation of Article 121 of the LOSC, thereby shedding light on what maritime features may be regarded as islands and not rocks within the meaning of that article, and therefore entitled to an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf. This article considers the decision reached by the Tribunal, and the views expressed in the literature, applying them to an analysis that attempts to answer whether the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands (sovereignty over which is disputed by China and Japan) in the East China Sea would qualify as islands, and thus entitled to an EEZ and as a continental shelf, or as rocks and therefore not so entitled.

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