Cascading Erosion in the Tide‐Dominated Changjiang Delta: A Novel Radionuclide Approach

Abstract Nearshore erosion is well‐documented in sediment‐deficit river deltas but remains less understood beyond their delta front (DF), particularly its extension to the deeper prodelta (PD) and distal mud (DM). This study investigates the response of Changjiang subaqueous delta and its DM to sedi...

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Main Authors: Yijing Wu, Daidu Fan, Jianfeng Su
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-02-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL113057
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author Yijing Wu
Daidu Fan
Jianfeng Su
author_facet Yijing Wu
Daidu Fan
Jianfeng Su
author_sort Yijing Wu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Nearshore erosion is well‐documented in sediment‐deficit river deltas but remains less understood beyond their delta front (DF), particularly its extension to the deeper prodelta (PD) and distal mud (DM). This study investigates the response of Changjiang subaqueous delta and its DM to sediment decline following the 2003 closure of the Three Gorges Dam. By analyzing temporal and spatial variations in 210Pbex profile styles, discrepancies between 210Pb and 137Cs sediment accumulation rates, and surface sediment grain sizes, we identified the onset of erosion at the DF shortly after 2003, which spread to the PD by 2009 and reached the northern DM by 2015. By tracking the burial depths of the 1963 137Cs peak, we found progressively lower erosion rates in newly eroded subzones primarily due to sediment redistribution. This study, leveraging historical radionuclides data, offers a valuable approach for monitoring erosion in areas lacking remote sensing detection and historical bathymetric data.
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institution Kabale University
issn 0094-8276
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language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher Wiley
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series Geophysical Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-ced09442fea84348b43663bc83c267a62025-08-20T03:49:31ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-02-01524n/an/a10.1029/2024GL113057Cascading Erosion in the Tide‐Dominated Changjiang Delta: A Novel Radionuclide ApproachYijing Wu0Daidu Fan1Jianfeng Su2State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology Tongji University Shanghai ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Geology Tongji University Shanghai ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Geology Tongji University Shanghai ChinaAbstract Nearshore erosion is well‐documented in sediment‐deficit river deltas but remains less understood beyond their delta front (DF), particularly its extension to the deeper prodelta (PD) and distal mud (DM). This study investigates the response of Changjiang subaqueous delta and its DM to sediment decline following the 2003 closure of the Three Gorges Dam. By analyzing temporal and spatial variations in 210Pbex profile styles, discrepancies between 210Pb and 137Cs sediment accumulation rates, and surface sediment grain sizes, we identified the onset of erosion at the DF shortly after 2003, which spread to the PD by 2009 and reached the northern DM by 2015. By tracking the burial depths of the 1963 137Cs peak, we found progressively lower erosion rates in newly eroded subzones primarily due to sediment redistribution. This study, leveraging historical radionuclides data, offers a valuable approach for monitoring erosion in areas lacking remote sensing detection and historical bathymetric data.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL113057delta regime shiftsubaqueous delta erosiondistal mudnon‐steady‐state accumulation
spellingShingle Yijing Wu
Daidu Fan
Jianfeng Su
Cascading Erosion in the Tide‐Dominated Changjiang Delta: A Novel Radionuclide Approach
Geophysical Research Letters
delta regime shift
subaqueous delta erosion
distal mud
non‐steady‐state accumulation
title Cascading Erosion in the Tide‐Dominated Changjiang Delta: A Novel Radionuclide Approach
title_full Cascading Erosion in the Tide‐Dominated Changjiang Delta: A Novel Radionuclide Approach
title_fullStr Cascading Erosion in the Tide‐Dominated Changjiang Delta: A Novel Radionuclide Approach
title_full_unstemmed Cascading Erosion in the Tide‐Dominated Changjiang Delta: A Novel Radionuclide Approach
title_short Cascading Erosion in the Tide‐Dominated Changjiang Delta: A Novel Radionuclide Approach
title_sort cascading erosion in the tide dominated changjiang delta a novel radionuclide approach
topic delta regime shift
subaqueous delta erosion
distal mud
non‐steady‐state accumulation
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL113057
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AT daidufan cascadingerosioninthetidedominatedchangjiangdeltaanovelradionuclideapproach
AT jianfengsu cascadingerosioninthetidedominatedchangjiangdeltaanovelradionuclideapproach