Variation of sediment grain size parameters, fish diversity, and phytoplankton richness in relation to sand and silt fractions in estuaries

The Huanghe River (Yellow River) is the most sediment laden river system in the world, and many efforts have been conducted to understand modern deltaic evolution in response to anthropological impacts. However, the natural background and its linkage to climatic changes are less documented in previous studies. In this work, we studied the sediments of core YDZ–3 and marine surface samples by grain-size analysis to retrieve Holocene dynamics of the Huanghe River delta in detail. The main findings are as follows: The mean value of sediment grain size of the studied core is 5.5 ± 0.9 Φ, and silt and sand contents are 5.2 ± 2.3% and 8.2 ± 5.3%, respectively, while the variance of clay particles is relatively large with an average value of 86.4 ± 8.5%. All grain-size data can be mathematically partitioned by a Weibull-based function formula, and three subgroups were identified with modal sizes of 61.1 ± 28.9 μm, 30.0 ± 23.9 μm, and 2.8 ± 1.6 μm, respectively. There are eight intervals with abrupt changes in modal size of core YDZ–3, which can be correlated to paleo-superlobe migration of the Huanghe River in the Holocene. Based on these observations, the presence of seven superlobes in the history are confirmed for the first time and their ages are well constrained in this study, including Paleo-Superlobes Lijin (6400–5280 yr BP), Huanghua (4480–4190 yr BP), Jugezhuang (3880–3660 yr BP), Shajinzi (3070–2870 yr BP), Nigu (2780–2360 yr BP), Qikou (2140–2000 yr BP), and Kenli (1940–1780 and 1700–1650 yr BP). By tuning geomorphological events to a sedimentary proxy derived from core YDZ–3 and comparing to various paleoenvironmental changes, we proposed that winter climate dominated Holocene shifts of the Huanghe River delta on millennial timescales, while summer monsoons controlled deltaic evolution on centennial timescales.

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East Asian winter monsoon variation during the last 3000 years as recorded in a subtropical mountain lake, northeastern Taiwan

The Holocene ◽

10.1177/09596836211019094 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 095968362110190

Author(s):

Tsai-Wen Lin ◽

Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr ◽

Kweku Afrifa Yamoah ◽

André Bahr ◽

George Burr ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grain Size ◽

East Asian Winter Monsoon ◽

East Asian ◽

Winter Monsoon ◽

Mountain Lake ◽

Sediment Grain Size ◽

Global Monsoon ◽

Asian Winter Monsoon ◽

The Past ◽

Monsoon System

The East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM) is a fundamental part of the global monsoon system that affects nearly one-quarter of the world’s population. Robust paleoclimate reconstructions in East Asia are complicated by multiple sources of precipitation. These sources, such as the EAWM and typhoons, need to be disentangled in order to understand the dominant source of precipitation influencing the past and current climate. Taiwan, situated within the subtropical East Asian monsoon system, provides a unique opportunity to study monsoon and typhoon variability through time. Here we combine sediment trap data with down-core records from Cueifong Lake in northeastern Taiwan to reconstruct monsoonal rainfall fluctuations over the past 3000 years. The monthly collected grain-size data indicate that a decrease in sediment grain size reflects the strength of the EAWM. End member modelling analysis (EMMA) on sediment core and trap data reveals two dominant grain-size end-members (EMs), with the coarse EM 2 representing a robust indicator of EAWM strength. The downcore variations of EM 2 show a gradual decrease over the past 3000 years indicating a gradual strengthening of the EAWM, in agreement with other published EAWM records. This enhanced late-Holocene EAWM can be linked to the expansion of sea-ice cover in the western Arctic Ocean caused by decreased summer insolation.

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Depositional environment in Great Indian Desert using grain size parameters and its chemical characterization

Journal of the Geological Society of India ◽

10.1007/s12594-016-0465-y ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 88 (1) ◽

pp. 120-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S.K. Wadhawan ◽

Pankaj Kumar

Keyword(s):

Grain Size ◽

Depositional Environment ◽

Chemical Characterization ◽

Indian Desert ◽

Grain Size Parameters

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Grain-size parameters of marine sediments

Oceanology ◽

10.1134/s0001437006030155 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 46 (3) ◽

pp. 430-439

Author(s):

T. N. Alekseeva ◽

V. N. Sval’nov

Keyword(s):

Grain Size ◽

Marine Sediments ◽

Grain Size Parameters

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Relationships between multibeam backscatter, sediment grain size and Posidonia oceanica seagrass distribution

Continental Shelf Research ◽

10.1016/j.csr.2010.09.006 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 30 (18) ◽

pp. 1941-1950 ◽

Cited By ~ 66

Author(s):

Giovanni De Falco ◽

Renato Tonielli ◽

Gabriella Di Martino ◽

Sara Innangi ◽

Simone Simeone ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grain Size ◽

Posidonia Oceanica ◽

Sediment Grain Size

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Remote sensing of underwater vegetation using single-beam acoustics

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fsp251 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 67 (3) ◽

pp. 594-605 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Victor Quintino ◽

Rosa Freitas ◽

Renato Mamede ◽

Fernando Ricardo ◽

Ana Maria Rodrigues ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Grain Size ◽

Algal Biomass ◽

Sediment Grain Size ◽

Coastal System ◽

Single Beam ◽

Acoustic Data ◽

Sediment Types ◽

Caulerpa Prolifera ◽

Sandy Sediments

Abstract Quintino, V., Freitas, R., Mamede, R., Ricardo, F., Rodrigues, A. M., Mota, J., Pérez-Ruzafa, Á., and Marcos, C. 2010. Remote sensing of underwater vegetation using single-beam acoustics. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 594–605. A single-beam, acoustic, ground-discrimination system (QTC VIEW, Series V) was used to study the distribution of underwater macrophytes in a shallow-water coastal system, employing frequencies of 50 and 200 kHz. The study was conducted in Mar Menor, SE Spain, where the expansion of Caulerpa prolifera has contributed to the silting up of the superficial sediments. A direct relationship was identified between algal biomass and sediment-fines content. Acoustic information on sediment grain size and data on algal biomass were obtained in muddy and sandy sediments, including vegetated and non-vegetated seabed. Non-vegetated muddy areas were created by diving and handpicking the algae. The multivariate acoustic data were analysed under the null hypotheses that there were no acoustic differences between bare seabeds with contrasting superficial sediment types or among low, medium, and high algal-biomass areas, having in mind that grain size can act as a confounding factor. Both null hypotheses were rejected, and the results showed that 200 kHz was better than 50 kHz in distinguishing cover levels of algal biomass. The relationship between the 200-kHz acoustic data and algal biomass suggests utility in modelling the latter using the former.

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