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Coastal deltaic deposits are the primary locations for sediment storage on Earth, and quantifying their source contributions is a critical prerequisite for delineating S2S patterns in marginal seas. In most cases, quantification for the contribution by fine‐grained sediments (i.e. particle size < 63 μm) is considered to be representative to constrain the overall sediment supply. However, this approach may be inappropriate because large differences exist between the two quantities. Here we propose an approach to solve the problem, which is based on the maximum number of tracers from multiple sediment size fractions incorporating the content of all size fractions of sediment. Using this approach, absolute source contributions during the Holocene are reconstructed that provide a first‐order model for the S2S pattern of the central Jiangsu coast, China. The Huanghe River is the strongest driver for the Holocene sedimentation, with a mean contribution of ~72 ± 6% (1417 × 108 t). The absolute contributions from the Changjiang and offshore areas were of secondary importance, (i.e. ~17 ± 1% (330 × 108 t) and ~11 ± 5% (217 × 108 t), respectively). The results show that a large difference between the relative and absolute source contributions and the assumption that the relative contribution represents the absolute contribution is invalid in a coastal setting. The impact of the Huanghe is mainly based on episodic events, such as the event of 1128–1855 AD. The model also reveals that the offshore sediments are as important as the Changjiang sediments for the central Jiangsu coast during the Holocene. Thus, the model provides both the time series and overall quantities of sediment supply during the formation and evolution of the Holocene tidal flats on the Jiangsu coast. Our findings shed new light on quantitative analysis of sediment sources applicable to future S2S studies of marginal seas. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total suspended particulate matter (TSM) in estuarine and coastal regions usually exhibits significant natural variations. The understanding of such variations is of great significance in coastal waters. The aim of this study is to investigate and assess the diurnal and seasonal variations of surface TSM distribution and its mechanisms in coastal waters based on Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) data. As a case study, dynamic variations of TSM in the macro-tidal Yalu River estuary (YRE) of China were analysed. With regard to diurnal variability, there were usually two peaks of TSM in a tidal cycle corresponding to the maximum flood and ebb current. Tidal action appears to play a vital role in diurnal variations of TSM. Both the processes of tidal re-suspension and advection could be identified; however, the diurnal variation of TSM was mainly affected by a re-suspension process. In addition, spring-neap tides can affect the magnitude of TSM diurnal variations in the YRE. The GOCI-retrieved TSM results clearly showed the seasonal variability of surface TSM in this area, with the highest level occurring in winter and the lowest in summer. Moreover, although river discharge to the YRE was much greater in the wet season than the dry season, TSM concentrations were significantly higher in the dry season. Wind waves were considered to be the main factor affecting TSM seasonal variation in the YRE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding of bottom sediment erodibility is necessary for the sustainable management and protection of coastlines, and is of great importance for numerical models of sediment dynamics and transport. To investigate the dependence of sediment erodibility on degree of consolidation, we measured turbidity, waves, tidal currents, intratidal bed-level changes, and sediment properties on an exposed macrotidal mudflat during a series of tidal cycles. We estimated the water content of surface sediments (in the uppermost 2 cm of sediment) and sub-surface sediments (at 2 cm below the sediment surface). Bed shear stress values due to currents ( τ c ), waves ( τ w ), and combined current–wave action ( τ cw ) were calculated using a hydrodynamic model. In this study, we estimate the critical shear stress for erosion using two approaches and both of them give similar results. We found that the critical shear stress for erosion ( τ ce ) was 0.17–0.18 N/m 2 in the uppermost 0–2 cm of sediment and 0.29 N/m 2 in sub-surface sediment layers (depth, 2 cm), as determined by time series of τ cw values and intratidal bed-level changes, and values of τ ce , obtained using the water content of bottom sediments, were 0.16 N/m 2 in the uppermost 2 cm and 0.28 N/m 2 in the sub-surface (depth, 2 cm) sediment. These results indicate that the value of τ ce for sub-surface sediments (depth, 2 cm) is much greater than that for the uppermost sediments (depth, 0–2 cm), and that the τ ce value is mainly related to the water content, which is determined by the extent of consolidation. Our results have implications for improving the predictive accuracy of models of sediment transport and morphological evolution, by introducing variable τ ce values for corresponding sediment layers, and can also provide a mechanistic understanding of bottom sediment erodibility at different sediment depths on intertidal mudflats, as related to differences in the consolidation time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]