Source-to-sink process of sediments in the central muddy area of the south Yellow Sea since the middle MIS 3

Identifying sediment sources in the continental shelf muddy area provides a critical foundation for elucidating source-to-sink processes. This study investigates the sediment provenance of core YS01 from the western Central Yellow Sea Mud (CYSM) to reconstruct the source-to-sink processes in the South Yellow Sea (SYS) since the middle MIS 3. Clay mineral assemblages and Sr-Nd isotope compositions reveal that the Yellow River and Yangtze River are the dominant sediment sources in the study area since the middle marine isotope stages (MIS) 3. Mixed detrital sediments from these two rivers were identified in the strata deposited during the 8.3–0.3 ka (mid-late MIS 1) and 42.6–31.4 ka (mid-late MIS 3), closely linked to nearshore seafloor erosion driven by the East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM). The key distinction between these two periods lies in the weakened intensity of the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) intensity during the mid-late MIS1, which significantly reduced the contribution of Yangtze River-derived suspended sediments to the study area in summer. In contrast, during the 12.0–10.9 ka (early MIS 1), the suspended sediment from the Yangtze River in summer became the dominant sediment source, transported to the study area by the northward-flowing Yellow Sea Coastal Current (YSCC) and the Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW), both influenced by the intensified EASM. In general, source-to-sink processes in the SYS since the middle MIS 3 are predominantly controlled by the East Asian Monsoon.