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Significane The analysis of source-to-sink system is a comprehensive study of tectonic geology, sedimentology, and sequence stratigraphy. Because of its integral, dynamic, and semiquantitative-quantitative characteristics, it has attracted widespread attention. Progress This review first introduces the key issues of the deep-time source-to-sink systems (pre-Quaternary systems), which include the quantitative characterization of sediment mass balance and the control of the transport process on the sediment. Due to the lack of stratigraphic records and the difficulty in obtaining parameters, the research is still challenging.Second, it reviews the quantitation methods of deep-time source-to-sink systems that can be classified into three categories, namely, geochronology, uniformitarianism, and sedimentology. By obtaining information such as geomorphological parameters, hydraulic parameters, erosion rates, and sediment flux, various methods establish the quantitative relationships between "sources" and "sinks" and then rebuild the sedimentary basin infilling history. This article introduces the principles and related parameters of different methods and then compares the advantages and limitations to provide a reference for future research. It is believed that geochronology is widely used, and the core lies in provenance analysis. The key to uniformitarianism is the analogy of geological background and the selection of geological parameters. The sedimentology is controlled by multiple variables, and the tectonic-climate background and research scale need to be considered comprehensively. Conclusions and Prospects Finally, this review states the development of quantitative analysis of deep-time source-to-sink systems. Under the guidance of the important idea of "the present is the key to the past", the research needs to focus on the provenance systems, sediment routing systems, sediment dispersal, and redistributive process, and coupling relationship between various parameters. Research also needs to pay attention to quantitative analysis at multiple timescales and multidisciplinary dynamic analysis. Compared with continental margin source-to-sink systems, continental lacustrine source-to-sink system patterns and prediction models need to be further improved.

[Objective] The characteristics of sand and dust transport amount and particle size on the windward and leeward sides of a natural Populus euphratica riparian forest at the Arghan section of the lower reaches of the Tarim River under the prevailing wind direction were studied in order to provide a theoretical basis for its windbreak and sand fixation capacity. [Methods] Sediments were collected from two windward sites (Y1 and Y2) and two leeward sites (B1 and B2) of the forest at five heights of 10, 30, 50, 100, and 150 cm near the surface using a BSNE sand collector. The particle size characteristics of the sand samples were then measured using a Microtrac S3500 laser diffraction particle size analyzer. [Results] ① The horizontal flux of sand and dust in the four sample plots followed either a power function or exponential function distribution, and total sediment transport followed the order of Y1 > Y2 > B1 > B2. The sediment transport for each sample plot decreased with increasing height from the soil surface. ② The reduction of sediment on the leeward side compared with the windward side ranged from 35% to 80% less than on the windward side, indicating that the natural P. euphratica riparian forest in the lower reaches of the Tarim River has obvious windbreak and sand fixation benefits. ③ The average particle size of sand grains at all heights was 80~93 μm, mainly composed of extremely fine sand. The particle size frequency curve showed a single peak distribution, and the sand dust composition was simple, mainly composed of local sand sources. [Conclusion] The sediment transport on the leeward side of the natural P. euphratica riparian forest in the study area was lower than that of the windward side. Average particle size was smaller and sorting performance was better on the leeward side than on windward side. The average particle size smaller than that of the windward side, the sorting was better than that of the windward side, the kurtosis was narrower than that of windward side, and skewness is slightly smaller than that of the windward side. The P. euphratica riparian forest exhibited obvious windbreak and sand fixation benefits, and can be used as an effective measure to reduce the damage by wind and sand transport in the study area.

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Paleo-relief reconstruction in source-to-sink system analysis is currently a hot topic in sedimentology, playing an important role in understanding regional tectonic evolution, climate change, surface weathering, sediment supply, and their interrelationships, and it is a key component of source paleogeographic reconstruction. Source areas in deep time are not well preserved due to later tectonic destruction, weathering, and denudation, making it difficult to reconstruct paleo-relief. The BQART sediment flux model depicts the relationship between sediment flux, bedrock lithology, river discharge, drainage area, maximum relief, and annual average temperature in an exorheic setting. When sediment flux and other parameters are acquired from the sedimentary record, maximum relief can be calculated using the BQART model. Through integration of lithofacies paleogeography, cyclostratigraphy, paleohydrolog-ical and paleogeomorphological relationship methods, a BQART model-based approach is proposed for paleo-relief reconstruction in deep time and, based on quantitative paleogeographic reconstructions, and uplift amplitudes and rates can be calculated by employing the sediment-volume backfilling method. Based on this approach, the inner zone of the Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP) was estimated to be rising slowly during the Late Permian, reaching more than 200 m at the end of the Permian, with total tectonic uplift estimated as 500-750 m. This comprehensive analysis demonstrates that deep-time paleo-relief reconstruction approaches are suitable for a middle-large exorheic basin with a warm and humid paleoclimate, which is of great significance for the exploration and development of mineral resources in energy-rich basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The processes of sediment accumulation and dispersal in estuaries are an important issue in the study of land-sea interaction and also the scientific basis for the exploitation of deltas and the management of river basins upstream. Using subaqueous topographic data of the Yellow River Delta recorded at four times from 1976 to 2015, this paper determined the position of the moving delta front slope foot according to delta landform characteristics and calculated the sedimentation and erosion of the delta plain and delta front of the Diaokouhe and Qingshuigou sub-delta lobes. The results show that in 1976-1981 when the Yellow River was firstly diverted to the Qingshuigou course and had a wandering channel for some years, the proportion of sediment dispersed offshore was larger, so the Qingshuigou sub-delta arrested only about 70.9% of terrigenous sediment input. Although the mean sediment discharge of the Yellow River reduced by nearly one-half from 1976-1981 to 1981-2007 and was further reduced by over two-third from 1981-2007 to 2007-2015, the sediment retention ratio of the active Qingshuigou sub-delta maintained at a high level, reaching 84.2% in 1981-2007 and 73% in 2007-2015. The sediment retention ratio of the Qingshuigou sub-delta in 1976-2015 was higher than that of the growing Diaokouhe sub-delta in 1965-1974, and the amount of offshore sediment dispersal from the abandoned Diaokouhe sub-delta was higher than that of the Qingshuigou sub-delta in 1981-2007. There was a mean volume of 0.175 billion tons was dispersed offshore annually along the coast from Diaokouhe to the Qingshuigou sub-deltas in 1981-2007, and it declined to 0.11 billion tons annually in 2007-2015. In the future, if the amount of terrigenous sediment input remains low, the rate of sediment dispersal off the Yellow River Delta will tend to decrease with the decrease of the erosion rate of the regressive coastal slopes. The findings are of reference value for understanding the evolution of the Yellow River Delta and coastal changes and sediment dispersal in other estuaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding histrorical and future morphdynamic evolution processes is of critical importance to the longterm development and regulation of estuarine deltas. Based on a series of bathymetric and hydrologic data from 2001 to 2015, the influence of Yangtze fluvial sediment decline on the bathymetric evolution of the Yangtze River Estuary and adjacent seas is presented. After the completion of the Three Gorges Dam Project, the sediment flux is 135 million ton per year (keep relatively lower level comparing to the past), and an updated stable relationship between riverine discharge and fluvial sediment flux has been taken shape. Impacted by the sediment reduction, the suspended sediment concentration at the South Branch, South Channel and at the upper reach of the North Channel experienced a sharp decline after 2008, accompanied with channel erosion and channel-volume increasing. Meanwhile the channel shape tended to be narrower and deeper than the past. In recent years, the upstream and outlets of the Mouth Bar area are scoured, the length of the shallow area is cut down. Two erosion areas are found at the front of underwater deltas of the Yangtze River Estuary, one is located at the outlet of the North Channel, and another is at the outlet of South and North Passage. From 2007 to 2015, the annual average scour thickness is 0.1 m, and the yearly erosion amount reaches 71 million m3. The influence of fluvial sediment decline on the bathymetric evolutions in the Yangtze River Estuary and adjacent seas is still in progress, and it will likely overturn the traditional seaward sedimentation pattern in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]