Marine Geology最新文献

{"title":"Anthropogenic disturbances drive stepwise geomorphic changes of shoal-channel systems in a tide-dominated estuary","authors":"Ping Zhang ,&nbsp;Linxi Fu ,&nbsp;Xiangyuan Li ,&nbsp;Jianliang Lin ,&nbsp;Huayang Cai ,&nbsp;Zhijun Dai ,&nbsp;Qingshu Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107694","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107694","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The shoal-channel system, a fundamental geomorphic feature in estuaries globally, plays a crucial role in ensuring navigational safety and sustaining estuarine-deltaic ecosystem services. However, in the Anthropocene, this system has undergone significant transformations, challenging its stability and functional integrity. To investigate these changes, we applied a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and Morphological Shannon Entropy (MSE) to quantify the stepwise evolution of the shoal-channel system in the Shiziyang (SZY) Tidal Channel, a tide-dominated reach of the Pearl River Estuary (PRE). Our findings reveal that anthropogenic disturbances triggered a systematic eastward channel migration, progressive shoal expansion, and peak erosion of 2.37 × 10⁶ m³/yr during Period III (1989–2000), exceeding concurrent deposition by 50 %. These changes culminated in a systemic reconfiguration from a V-shaped to a W-shaped channel profile. Sequential dredging emerged as the principal driver, accounting for a 17 m incision and contributing up to 68.45 % of the total scouring in Period III. Additional factors, including port construction (which reduced channel width by 20.39 %), diminished sediment flux (causing a 27.65 % decrease in depositional bank extent), and intensified hydrodynamics (reflected by a tidal range increase of 4.56 mm/yr), acted synergistically to amplify the regime shift. By elucidating the key drivers and consequences of this geomorphic evolution, our study provides critical insights for the sustainable management of heavily engineered coastal systems in the Anthropocene.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"492 ","pages":"Article 107694"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145748362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Geomorphic control of wave run-up by berm morphology on sandy beaches","authors":"Yingtao Zhou ,&nbsp;Zheng Li ,&nbsp;Yu Zhu ,&nbsp;Yuanshu Jiang ,&nbsp;Xi Feng ,&nbsp;Weibing Feng ,&nbsp;Yulong Xue ,&nbsp;Jutong Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107692","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107692","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to advance the current understanding of the role that the berm plays in modulating wave run-up dynamics for elevation control purposes. Accurate prediction of wave run-up is essential for coastal hazard assessment and management, yet existing empirical models often fail to account for the dynamic influence of berm morphology. This study introduces a new empirical formula for wave run-up that solves the current wave run-up empirical formula can not adequately consider the instantaneous changes in the berm (including width, elevation, and onshore slope). Using field measurements from sandy beaches in Haikou, China, combined with numerical simulations (XBeach) and video-derived run-up data from a Coastal Shore-based Video Imagery Monitoring System (COSVIMS), we analyze run-up behavior on composite-profile beaches featuring a gentle berm and steep dune. Results demonstrate that berm geometry significantly attenuates run-up: a higher and wider berm reduces both vertical elevation and horizontal extent of run-up. The proposed model which including berm height (<em>h</em>_<em>B</em>), berm platform length (<em>L</em>_<em>B</em>), and the onshore slope of the berm ridge (<em>β</em>_<em>Son</em>) outperforms established formulations across multiple international beach datasets, showing higher correlation and lower root-mean-square error (RMSE = 0.046) than old models. By capturing real-time feedback between berm evolution and run-up, this improved formula resolves the issue of asynchrony between hydrodynamics and run-up, thereby providing a robust basis for real-time calculations of wave-topography interactions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"492 ","pages":"Article 107692"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145748363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Control of sediment supply and fault-controlled topography on the evolution of undulating bedforms in the Eastern Shenhu Slope, northern South China Sea","authors":"Kunwen Luo ,&nbsp;Ming Su ,&nbsp;Shan Liu ,&nbsp;Zhi Lin Ng ,&nbsp;Zhixuan Lin ,&nbsp;Ce Wang ,&nbsp;Hui Chen ,&nbsp;Haiteng Zhuo","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107702","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107702","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Depositional and erosional bedforms are prevalent in submarine environments worldwide, and have the potential to preserve critical records of continental margin evolution, ocean circulation, climate variability, and paleo-geohazards. However, the origin and evolution of such bedforms remain debated. This study employs high-resolution three-dimensional seismic reflection data to investigate the origin, evolution, and controlling factors of undulating bedforms on the eastern Shenhu slope, northern South China Sea. Morphometric analyses of these bedforms, as well as morphometric-based calculating of turbidity currents velocity, distinguish them as turbidity current-generated bedforms. Initiated since Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 38 (horizon SB3) until the present, bedforms on the Shenhu slope are divided into two stages: (1) from MIS 38 to MIS 20 (horizons SB3–SB4), where erosional crescentic scours and elongated troughs, are formed under vigorous turbidity currents; (2) from MIS 12 to the present (horizon SB5–seafloor), where depositional bedforms, sediment waves, with near-linear crests, formed under relatively weaker current. Their evolution was governed by the interplay of the progradation of the paleo-Pearl River shelf-edge delta and the development of a horsetail normal fault system in the upper slope, with an increase in sediment supply since 1.6 <em>Ma</em> and a decrease in fault activity between 2.58 <em>Ma</em> until 474 ka (MIS 12). Fault-controlled conduits enhanced current velocity and erosion until MIS 20, which transitioned into unconfined flows and depositional waves as faults were progressively buried. These findings highlight the pivotal roles of sediment supply and seafloor topography in shaping deep-water sedimentary systems, offering insights into the sedimentary dynamics on continental margins.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"492 ","pages":"Article 107702"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145880212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early Pleistocene (1.94–1.46 Ma) records for the upper Mediterranean Outflow Water branch reveal low and high latitude climate influences","authors":"Antje H.L. Voelker ,&nbsp;Emanuelle Ducassou ,&nbsp;Barbara Balestra ,&nbsp;Jose Abel Flores ,&nbsp;Gary D. Acton ,&nbsp;Carl Richter ,&nbsp;Chuang Xuan ,&nbsp;Johanna Lofi ,&nbsp;Ana Alberto ,&nbsp;Henning Kuhnert ,&nbsp;Carlos A. Alvarez Zarikian","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107697","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107697","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW), modified by paleoceanographic conditions and tectonic processes, played a significant role in the formation of sediments drifts along the Iberian Margin. Using sediment samples from IODP Hole U1387C, we explore the Early Pleistocene history of the upper MOW core above the central Faro Drift in the Gulf of Cádiz. The time series of benthic foraminifer stable isotope and grain size related data have a rigorous stratigraphic framework consisting of nannofossil biostratigraphy and paleomagnetic and δ¹⁸O stratigraphy. The paleoenvironmental records are supplemented by natural gamma ray downhole logging data. Above the hiatus associated with the youngest dolostone, sandy to muddy contourite sedimentation started at 1.946 Ma, i.e., within Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 74, at IODP Site U1387, slightly younger than at IODP Site U1389. Formation of contourite layers, reflected in the sortable silt and sand percentage records, strongly reacted to precession forcing, including semi- and quarter-precession cycles. The majority of the contourite beds developed during stadial (colder) climate periods, like previous observations from the Early to Late Pleistocene. Formation of contourite layers within MIS 53, MIS 55 and MIS 65, however, appear to be linked to the prevailing atmospheric conditions over North Africa. Periods of poor ventilation in the upper MOW were linked to insolation maxima and reduced ventilation in the Mediterranean Sea. Here, MIS 51 presents a peculiar case as poor ventilation reached from the surface to the lower North Atlantic Deep Water range, reflecting unique interglacial conditions that merit future exploration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"492 ","pages":"Article 107697"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145797359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The updated distribution of clay minerals in the World Ocean","authors":"Taylor R. Lee ,&nbsp;Taylor Vander ,&nbsp;Trilby Hill ,&nbsp;Jeffrey Obelcz ,&nbsp;Benjamin Phrampus ,&nbsp;Jordan Graw","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107695","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107695","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Clay mineral content in marine sediments is central to a wide variety of applications in the marine geosciences, including paleoclimate reconstruction and slope stability analyses. Most studies are not applicable to a global scale, focusing on single locations or regional areas. Additionally, dominant clay mineral data (kaolinite, illite, smectite, chlorite) are not curated for “big data” applications necessary to produce estimates on a global scale. Geospatial machine learning (GML) techniques have successfully produced global predictions of geological seafloor properties, such as sedimentation rate and total organic carbon. Here, we curate observed data of dominant clay mineral concentration for use in a GML algorithm to predict global surficial (&lt; 1 m) seafloor estimates of relative clay mineral abundances. Our global seafloor clay mineral predictions are qualitatively similar to previous global estimates, but have more dynamic range and finer-scale spatial variation. Our results show that GML predictions are the best data-driven estimate (∼2-3× decrease in error) of clay mineral concentration where it has not been previously measured.</div></div><div><h3>Plain language summary</h3><div>Clay minerals in marine seafloor sediments are important to a variety of marine geology applications including reconstructing ancient climates and assessing slope instability hazards. Most of these studies publish sparse data that is limited to particular regions of the world. The inconsistent formatting of these data makes it difficult to utilize in a “big data” framework (e.g., machine learning applications). We harvest thousands of sparse clay mineral observations from a variety of different public sources including literature and repositories. We standardize these data in a manner compatible with machine learning efforts. We then utilize machine learning algorithms to estimate the global distribution of dominant clay minerals in shallow marine seafloor (&lt; 1 m) sediments. Finally, we compare our predictions with previously published maps. Our predictions are descriptively similar, but statistically more accurate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"492 ","pages":"Article 107695"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145748364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sea-level and basement structural controls on Late Quaternary sedimentation in a tropical wave-dominated delta: Evidence from subsurface cores in Kaveri Delta, India","authors":"Kartika Goswami ,&nbsp;Linto Alappat ,&nbsp;Manoj K. Jaiswal ,&nbsp;Sivakumar Krishnan ,&nbsp;Anbarasu Kumaresan ,&nbsp;Senthil Kumar Sadasivam ,&nbsp;Xianjiao Ou","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107700","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107700","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Kaveri (Cauvery) River delta on the southeast coast of India is among the largest sedimentary archives of peninsular India, preserving a complex record of sea-level fluctuations, fluvial dynamics, and tectonic controls in a tropical wave-dominated setting. This study presents results from four 25 m-deep sediment cores, analysed for chronology using quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, along with sedimentological characterisation and micropalaeontological (foraminiferal) analysis. Chronological data reveal four marine transgressions during MIS 5.5 (∼122 ka), MIS 5.1 (∼72 ka), MIS 3 (∼41 ka), and MIS 1 (9-6 ka). Corresponding foraminiferal assemblages confirm episodic marine influence well into the deltaic interior. Stratigraphic contrasts between inland and coastal cores indicate that the structural high along the Vedaranyam Ridge influenced accommodation space and sediment trapping within the adjoining Nagapattinam depression. Our findings emphasise that Late Quaternary delta development was governed by both allogenic (climate, sea level) and autogenic (sediment load, channel dynamics) processes. Notably, while Holocene sea-level records are relatively well documented, reliable evidence for Pleistocene highstands from the east coast of India remains sparse and discontinuous. By providing one of the few continuous stratigraphic and chronological records of multiple late Pleistocene highstands from the east coast of India, this study offers new insights into long-term deltaic response to external forcing in low-latitude coastal systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"492 ","pages":"Article 107700"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145880211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decadal shoreline variability in urban beaches: Contributions from structural changes, storms, and nourishments to tipping points","authors":"J. Guillén,&nbsp;G. Simarro","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107683","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107683","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The beaches of Barcelona are sediment-starved, heavily engineered, and subject to frequent human interventions. Over two decades of daily shoreline data obtained through video monitoring have yielded a comprehensive dataset, which is analysed to evaluate decadal shoreline dynamics, anthropogenic influences, and interactions with wave forcing across multiple urban beaches. Despite an overall erosive trend, shoreline retreat has been intermittently counteracted by periodic sand nourishments and the construction of coastal protection structures. A statistical definition of equilibrium shoreline position is introduced based on the frequency distribution of shoreline locations and potential drivers of abrupt shifts (“tipping points”) in shoreline behavior are identified. The analysis includes assessments of post-nourishment retreat rates and explores correlations between shoreline change and storm wave energy. While individual beach responses exhibit moderate correlation with wave energy, this relationship becomes more robust when data are aggregated over longer temporal windows or spatially across all beaches, highlighting the relevance of local controls. These findings provide a valuable first-order framework for anticipating shoreline behavior in urban beach settings and inform future coastal management strategies, although further refinement through advanced morphodynamic modeling is recommended to enhance predictive accuracy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"492 ","pages":"Article 107683"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145622912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gran Roque Island partly submerged by a 2500-year-old tsunami, Los Roques Archipelago, Venezuela Leeward Antilles Islands","authors":"Franck A. Audemard M. ,&nbsp;Carlos E. Reinoza Gómez ,&nbsp;Jesús Rafael Padilla Vásquez ,&nbsp;Melody Philippon ,&nbsp;Gabriela Quintana Sánchez ,&nbsp;Valerie Clouard ,&nbsp;Jean Roger ,&nbsp;Sirel Colón Useche ,&nbsp;Alejandra Fabiola Leal Guzmán ,&nbsp;José Alejandro Méndez Dot ,&nbsp;Jean-Frédéric Lebrun","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107696","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107696","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gran Roque Island (GRI), as the most northeastern salient of the Los Roques Archipelago, has been affected by several extreme-wave events (EWEs), as is recorded by several coastal boulder deposits (CBDs). The particular shape of its windward elevated coast and of its rather simple geology made of 2-end components: on one hand Mesozoic meta-igneous mafic rocks, and on the other Holocene sedimentary environments of typical active carbonate reef systems, allow differentiating a foreshore-lying CBD built by frequent storm and hurricanes from an inland CBD, which was deposited by a much larger and unusual EWE (tsunami). The former CBD is the source of the latter one. The source of this tsunami-transported CBD is unequivocal and forms and accumulates in the seashore of the Mal Viento Bay, the only opening of GRI to the North. This latter singularity also allows proposing that this 2500 yr cal BP tsunami must have generated in the northeastern Caribbean, because of the narrow opening to the North of this bay. A tsunamigenic earthquake about that time seems to have impacted, at least: a) Saint Thomas (Virgin Islands), b) lagoon Guichard in Saint Martin, c) 3 localities along the Atlantic coast of Martinique and d) Gran Roque Island (GRI). This pre-Current Era event now appears to have several run-ups at different localities. In the case of GRI, it has entrained blocks of diabase as heavy as 8.5–9 tons (volume of 3 m³) over a foreshore top of 2.2 m above msl, requiring a flow depth of 8.2 m. In a more realistic estimation, if the largest block is approximated to a 1-m-diameter, 3-m-long cylinder (volume of 2.35 m³ and ≈ 7 tons), a 6.5 m tsunami wave may have been sufficient to transport it inland by rolling/saltation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"492 ","pages":"Article 107696"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145748801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Morphodynamics of a composite barrier system, Westward Ho!, North Devon, UK","authors":"C.L. Rimmer,&nbsp;G. Masselink,&nbsp;M. Wiggins,&nbsp;L. Biermann","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107684","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107684","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding and predicting the morphodynamic evolution of gravel barrier systems is essential for coastal management, as these features provide natural protection for infrastructure and ecosystems. This study uses the composite gravel barrier system of Westward Ho!, south west England, characterised by a sandy intertidal region and a gravel high tide ridge, to quantify the morphological behaviour of this barrier system and link the dynamics to the external forcing, notably sea-level rise and waves. Since 1887, the barrier has retreated by 97 m, with an average retreat rate of 0.71 m yr⁻¹. Over the period 2007–2024, the system lost approximately 216,000 m³ of sediment, equivalent to 3.6 m³ m⁻¹ yr⁻¹. It is suggested that most of this material was transported to a beach-dune system north of the barrier, across an estuary. Over the past two decades, the retreat rate of the southern section has slowed to 0.18 m yr⁻¹, while the retreat rate of the northern section has increased to 2.39 m yr⁻¹. This suggests segmentation is occurring, with the southern end becoming swash-aligned and the northern end drift-aligned. Morphological changes did not strongly correlate with SLR or wave power (cross-shore or longshore). The low-tide shoreline appears near equilibrium with prevailing wave direction, but the gravel ridge is slightly misaligned, suggesting net northward sediment transport. Given current trends, the barrier is expected to continue retreating and losing sediment for several decades. However, a comprehensive understanding of the system's future behaviour requires development of a mixed-sediment morphodynamic model.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"492 ","pages":"Article 107684"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145692429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sedimentary dynamics in the subaqueous delta of the abandoned estuary: Effects of strong wave activity and riverine re-supply","authors":"Chaoran Lin ,&nbsp;Longhai Zhu ,&nbsp;Yaping Wang ,&nbsp;Rui Bao ,&nbsp;Rijun Hu ,&nbsp;Lingpeng Meng","doi":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107662","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.margeo.2025.107662","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Global climate change and the decline in riverine sediment supply are profoundly reshaping the fate and trajectory of numerous river deltas around the world. Notably, subaqueous deltas of abandoned estuaries (SDAEs) resulting from river diversion represent an extreme example of zero riverine sediment supply, yet studies of these environments remain scarce. Based on in-situ bottom boundary layer observations in both spring and summer in the SDAE of the Yellow River, we examined the variation patterns and controlling mechanisms of sediment dynamics —under the effect of strong wave activity and the new secondary distribution. Strong wave events exhibited a pronounced dual influence on SSC; alongshore wave substantially increase SSC (&gt;21.28 g/L) by enhancing sediment resuspension and liquefaction, whereas onshore wave significantly reduce nearshore SSC through water mass replacement (with values rapidly dropping from 13.11 g/L to 1.14 g/L). Riverine re-supply due to the new secondary course of the Yellow River has altered sediment transport pathways, enabling SSC in the SDAE to reach as high as 22.34 g/L under calm weather conditions, and resulting in a net alongshore sediment flux of 117 kg/m². We identified and established three conceptual models of fluid mud formation mechanisms: wave-supported, wave-current coupled fluid mud (WCFM), and river advection. We identified and established three conceptual models of fluid mud formation: wave-supported, wave-current coupled fluid mud (WCFM), and river advection. Identification of the WCFM highlights the sustained impact of strong wave activity on sediment transport within the SDAE. These findings advance our understanding of sediment dynamics in the SDAEs and provide valuable theoretical references and comparative examples for the studying the global evolution of abandoned or sediment-starved delta.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18229,"journal":{"name":"Marine Geology","volume":"491 ","pages":"Article 107662"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145289926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}