AUTHOR=Li Yanxia , Zhao Yifei , Xu Wenjian , Liu Nian , Xu Min 

TITLE=Quantitative provenance study of sediments in the coastal tidal flats of central Jiangsu based on grain-size End-Member analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1322899

DOI=10.3389/fmars.2023.1322899

ISSN=2296-7745

ABSTRACT=The sediment sources and dynamics of coastal mudflats in central Jiangsu Province, which are influenced by the Yangtze River and the abandoned Yellow River, remain uncertain. To address this knowledge gap, we collected sediment core samples from Dongtai and Sheyang in 2018. A grain-size End-Member (EM) model was used to quantitatively assess the sediment sources. The key findings included: (1) Sheyang exhibited five distinct EMs; EMs 1-3 originated from the abandoned Yellow River, EM 4 originated from the Yangtze River and the North Jiangsu radial sand ridges (NJRSR), and EM 5 originated from the NJRSR. Over a century scale, the abandoned Yellow River contributed 73.91% to sediment deposition in Sheyang, while the Yangtze River and the NJRSR contributed 26.09%. (2) Dongtai displayed six EMs: EMs 1-4 originated from the abandoned Yellow River, EM 5 originated from the Yangtze River, and EM 6 originated from the Yangtze River and the NJRSR. Over a century scale, the abandoned Yellow River contributed 70.55% to sediment deposition in Dongtai, and the Yangtze River and the NJRSR contributed 29.45%. (3) Temporally, the contribution of the abandoned Yellow River to sediment deposition in central Jiangsu Province's mudflats showed an increasing trend. Spatially, the contribution decreased from north to south. (4) There were significant changes in the sediment sources of Sheyang and Dongtai at the depths of 56 cm and 60 cm, respectively, which both experienced an increased sediment supply from the abandoned Yellow River. In Dongtai, the sediment on the southern side had increased contributions from the abandoned Yellow River due to a reduction in the sediment supply from the Yangtze River. In Sheyang, the sediment on the northern side had increased contributions from the abandoned Yellow River due to the introduction of Spartina alterniflora, despite no actual changes in the sediment sources. Additionally, the sediment that was deposited by the Yellow River, abandoned Yellow River, and Yangtze River and NJRSR had increased grain size after exposure to tides and waves. It was difficult to distinguish the NJRSR from the Yangtze River using the grain-size end-member analysis method due to their similar sedimentary characteristics.