Changes in global fluvial sediment concentrations and fluxes between 1985 and 2020

IF 25.7 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Nature Sustainability Pub Date : 2025-01-02 DOI:10.1038/s41893-024-01476-7

Xianghan Sun, Liqiao Tian, Hongwei Fang, Des E. Walling, Lei Huang, Edward Park, Deren Li, Chunmiao Zheng, Lian Feng

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Abstract

Fluvial sediment transport, a key pathway for global biogeochemical cycling, has changed markedly in the Anthropocene. However, disaggregating the compound effects of anthropogenic stresses on fluvial sediment transport at the global scale remains a challenge. Here we map the suspended sediment concentrations for global river channels, based on satellite observations, between 1985 and 2020, and estimate long-term changes in land–ocean sediment transfer. We find significant (P < 0.05) changes in suspended sediment concentrations in 67.8% (3.2 × 105 km) of the examined river channel length, with 43.4% (2.05 × 105 km) displaying a significant increasing trend, driven mainly by rising rainfall erosion and climate warming. Consequently, a global net increase (+0.58 Gt year−1) in land–ocean sediment flux has been observed over the past four decades, despite sediment trapping by recently constructed dams, mostly in Asia. Our study provides a new baseline for source-to-sink fluvial transport in the Anthropocene that can inform global water resource management and delta management and protection. Suspended sediments in river networks are a critical pathway for material and nutrient transport from land to the oceans, but global monitoring is challenging. Satellite records for the past three decades document an increase in sediment delivery, driven by climate and land-cover change.

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1985 - 2020年全球河流沉积物浓度和通量的变化

河流沉积物输运是全球生物地球化学循环的重要途径，在人类世发生了显著变化。然而，在全球尺度上分解人为应力对河流沉积物输运的复合影响仍然是一个挑战。本文基于1985年至2020年的卫星观测，绘制了全球河道悬浮泥沙浓度图，并估算了陆地-海洋泥沙转移的长期变化。研究发现，67.8% （3.2 × 105 km）河道悬沙浓度变化显著（P < 0.05），其中43.4% （2.05 × 105 km）河道悬沙浓度呈显著上升趋势，主要受降雨侵蚀增加和气候变暖的驱动。因此，尽管最近建造的水坝（主要在亚洲）捕获了沉积物，但在过去四十年中观测到全球陆海沉积物通量净增加（+0.58 Gt年- 1）。我们的研究为人类世河流从源到汇的迁移提供了新的基线，可为全球水资源管理和三角洲管理与保护提供参考。河网中的悬浮沉积物是物质和营养物质从陆地向海洋运输的重要途径，但全球监测具有挑战性。过去三十年的卫星记录显示，由于气候和土地覆盖的变化，沉积物的输送有所增加。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Nature Sustainability Energy-Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

CiteScore

41.90

自引率

1.10%

发文量

159

期刊介绍： Nature Sustainability aims to facilitate cross-disciplinary dialogues and bring together research fields that contribute to understanding how we organize our lives in a finite world and the impacts of our actions. Nature Sustainability will not only publish fundamental research but also significant investigations into policies and solutions for ensuring human well-being now and in the future.Its ultimate goal is to address the greatest challenges of our time.