Holocene to anthropocene burial of organic carbon in the Yangtze delta

Abstract

Holocene organic carbon (OC) burial in mega-deltas is considered to have played a crucial role in modulating long-term atmospheric CO₂ levels, but this role has likely been significantly altered by human activities during the Anthropocene. The absence of precise estimates for Holocene deltaic OC burial rates hinders a comprehensive understanding of carbon cycle evolution. This study, using data from 50 Holocene boreholes and 216 modern surface sediment samples, examines changes in OC sources and their controlling factors, and quantifies OC burial rates in the Yangtze Delta (YD) from the mid-Holocene to the Anthropocene. The results reveal three distinct stages of OC burial evolution. From 8 ka to 2 ka, the weakening East Asian Summer Monsoon reduced terrestrial OC contributions, but the YD maintained slow progradation and stable OC burial rates ( ∼ 0.79 Mt/yr). After 2 ka, human activities emerged as the dominant driver, triggering a 78% increase in OC burial rates (1.40 - 1.44 Mt/yr). Following the impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam, the YD entered an erosion-driven destruction phase, with OC burial rates declining by 59% compared to pre-dam levels. Accounting for subaqueous delta erosion, the YD has shifted from a net OC burial system to a net OC source, contributing ∼ 0.81 Mt/yr of OC to the Zhejiang-Fujian mud belt. These findings underscore the pivotal role of sediment burial rates in regulating OC sequestration in mega-deltas and highlight the global implications of human-altered sediment dynamics, suggesting that deltas worldwide may similarly transition from positive and negative OC sequestration.

Keywords

Yangtze delta / Organic carbon burial / Holocene / Anthropocene / Terrestrial organic carbon

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Jianfeng Su: Writing - review & editing, Writing - original draft, Methodology, Investigation, Funding acquisition, Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization. Yijing Wu: Writing - review & editing, Methodology, Funding acquisition, Conceptualization. Daidu Fan: Writing - review & editing, Supervision, Funding acquisition, Conceptualization.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC- 42206062, 42330411, 42206052). We thank Professor Zhanghua Wang (East China Normal University) and Professor Shouye Yang (Tongji University) for providing their OC datasets. We grateful acknowledge Editor M Santosh and reviewers for their constructive feedback.

Appendix A. Supplementary data

Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2025.102162.

References

[1] Alberti, M., Veiga, S.F., Chen, B., Hu, L., Fang, Z., Zhou, B., Pan, Y., 2024. The Yangtze River Delta experienced strong seasonality and regular summer upwelling during the warm mid-Holocene. Commun. Earth Environ. 5, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01668-1.

[2] Aller, R.C., Blair, N.E., 2004. Early diagenetic remineralization of sedimentary organic C in the gulf of Papua deltaic complex (Papua New Guinea): Net loss of terrestrial C and diagenetic fractionation of C isotopes. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 68, 1815-1825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2003.10.028.

[3] Aller, R.C., Blair, N.E., Brunskill, G.J., 2008. Early diagenetic cycling, incineration, and burial of sedimentary organic carbon in the central Gulf of Papua (Papua New Guinea). J. Geophys. Res. 113, 2006JF000689. https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JF000689.

[4] Aller, R.C., Blair, N.E., Xia, Q., Rude, P.D., 1996. Remineralization rates, recycling, and storage of carbon in Amazon shelf sediments. Cont. Shelf Res. 16, 753-786. https://doi.org/10.1016/0278-4343(95)00046-1.

[5] Anthony, E.J., Marriner, N., Morhange, C., 2014. Human influence and the changing geomorphology of Mediterranean deltas and coasts over the last 6000 years: From progradation to destruction phase? Earth. Sci. Rev. 139, 336-361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2014.10.003.

[6] Bao, R., McIntyre, C., Zhao, M., Zhu, C., Kao, S.-J., Eglinton, T.I., 2016. Widespread dispersal and aging of organic carbon in shallow marginal seas. Geology 44, 791-794. https://doi.org/10.1130/G37948.1.

[7] Berner, R.A., 1982. Burial of organic carbon and pyrite sulfur in the modern ocean; its geochemical and environmental significance. Am. J. Sci. 282, 451-473. https://doi.org/10.2475/ajs.282.4.451.

[8] Besset, M., Anthony, E.J., Bouchette, F., 2019. Multi-decadal variations in delta shorelines and their relationship to river sediment supply: An assessment and review. Earth Sci. Rev. 193, 199-219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2019.04.018.

[9] Bi, L., Yang, S., Zhao, Y., Wang, Z., Dou, Y., Li, C., Zheng, H., 2017. Provenance study of the Holocene sediments in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuary and inner shelf of the East China Sea. Quat. Int. 441, 147-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2016.12.004.

[10] Bianchi, T.S., 2011. The role of terrestrially derived organic carbon in the coastal ocean: A changing paradigm and the priming effect. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 108, 19473-19481. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1017982108.

[11] Blaauw, M., Christen, J.A., 2011. Flexible paleoclimate age-depth models using an autoregressive gamma process. Bayesian Anal. 6 (3), 457-474. https://doi.org/10.1214/11-BA618.

[12] Blair, N.E., Aller, R.C., 2012. The fate of terrestrial organic carbon in the marine environment. Annu. Rev. Mar. Science 4, 401-423. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-120709-142717.

[13] Burdige, D.J., 2005. Burial of terrestrial organic matter in marine sediments: A re-assessment. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 19, GB4011. https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GB002368.

[14] Burdige, D.J., 2007. Preservation of organic matter in marine sediments: Controls, mechanisms, and an imbalance in sediment organic carbon budgets? Chem. Rev. 107, 467-485. https://doi.org/10.1021/cr050347q.

[15] Chen, Y., Zhang, W., Nian, X., Sun, Q., Ge, C., Hutchinson, S.M., Cheng, Q., Wang, F., Chen, J., Zhao, X., 2021. Greigite as an indicator for salinity and sedimentation rate change: Evidence from the Yangtze River Delta, China. J. Geophys. Res.: Solid Earth 126, e2020JB021085. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JB021085.

[16] Deng, B., Zhang, J., Wu, Y., 2006. Recent sediment accumulation and carbon burial in the East China Sea. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 20, GB3014. https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GB002559.

[17] Deng, B., Wu, H., Yang, S., Zhang, J., 2017. Longshore suspended sediment transport and its implications for submarine erosion off the Yangtze River Estuary. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 190, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2017.03.015.

[18] Dong, J., Wang, Y., Cheng, H., Hardt, B., Edwards, R.L., Kong, X., Wu, J., Chen, S., Liu, D., Jiang, X., Zhao, K., 2010. A high-resolution stalagmite record of the Holocene East Asian monsoon from Mt Shennongjia, central China. The Holocene 20, 257-264. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683609350393.

[19] Duarte, C.M., Middelburg, J.J., Caraco, N., 2005. Major role of marine vegetation on the oceanic carbon cycle. Biogeosciences 2, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2-1-2005.

[20] Fan, D., Wu, Y., Zhang, Y., Burr, G., Huo, M., Li, J., 2017. South flank of the Yangtze Delta: Past, present, and future. Mar. Geol. 392, 78-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2017.08.015.

[21] France-Lanord, C., Derry, L.A., 1997. Organic carbon burial forcing of the carbon cycle from Himalayan erosion. Nature 390, 65-67. https://doi.org/10.1038/36324.

[22] Galy, V., France-Lanord, C., Beyssac, O., Faure, P., Kudrass, H., Palhol, F., 2007. Efficient organic carbon burial in the Bengal fan sustained by the Himalayan erosional system. Nature 450, 407-410. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06273.

[23] Galy, V., Peucker-Ehrenbrink, B., Eglinton, T., 2015. Global carbon export from the terrestrial biosphere controlled by erosion. Nature 521, 204-207. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14400.

[24] Gao, L., Li, D., Zhang, Y., 2012. Nutrients and particulate organic matter discharged by the Changjiang (Yangtze River): Seasonal variations and temporal trends. J. Geophys. Res.: Biogeosci. 117, G04001. https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JG001952.

[25] Ge, H., Zhang, C., Versteegh, G.J., Chen, L., Fan, D., Dong, L., Liu, J., 2016. Evolution of the East China Sea sedimentary environment in the past 14 kyr: Insights from tetraethers-based proxies. Sci. China Earth Sci. 59, 927-938. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-015-5229-9.

[26] Guo, X., Fan, D., Zheng, S., Wang, H., Zhao, B., Qin, C., 2021. Revisited sediment budget with latest bathymetric data in the highly altered Yangtze (Changjiang) Estuary. Geomorphology 391, 107873. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2021.107873.

[27] Guan, H., Chen, L., Luo, M., Liu, L., Mao, S., Ge, H., Zhang, M., Fang, J., Chen, D., 2019. Composition and origin of lipid biomarkers in the surface sediments from the southern Challenger deep, Mariana Trench. Geosci. Front. 10 (1), 351-360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2018.01.004.

[28] Hage, S., Romans, B.W., Peploe, T.G.E., Poyatos-Moré M., Haeri Ardakani, O., Bell, D., Englert, R.G., Kaempfe-Droguett, S.A., Nesbit, P.R., Sherstan, G., Synnott, D.P., Hubbard, S.M., 2022. High rates of organic carbon burial in submarine deltas maintained on geological timescales. Nat. Geosci. 15, 919-924. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01048-4.

[29] Heaton, T.J., Köhler, P., Butzin, M., Bard, E., Reimer, R.W., Austin, W.E.N., Ramsey, C.B., Grootes, P.M., Hughen, K.A., Kromer, B., Reimer, P.J., Adkins, J., Burke, A., Cook, M.S., Olsen, J., Skinner, L.C., 2020. Marine20—The marine radiocarbon age calibration curve (0-55,000 cal BP). Radiocarbon 62, 779-820. https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2020.68.

[30] Hedges, J.I., Keil, R.G., 1995. Sedimentary organic matter preservation: An assessment and speculative synthesis. Mar. Chem. 49, 81-115. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-4203(95)00008-F.

[31] Hilton, R.G., West, A.J., 2020. Mountains, erosion and the carbon cycle. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ. 1, 284-299. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-020-0058-6.

[32] Hu, L., Shi, X., Bai, Y., Qiao, S., Li, L., Yu, Y., Yang, G., Ma, D., Guo, Z., 2016. Recent organic carbon sequestration in the shelf sediments of the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea, China. J. Mar. Syst. 155, 50-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2015.10.018.

[33] Hutchings, J.A., Bianchi, T.S., Najjar, R.G., Herrmann, M., Kemp, W.M., Hinson, A.L., Feagin, R.A., 2020. Carbon deposition and burial in estuarine sediments of the contiguous United States. Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles 34, e2019GB006376. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GB006376.

[34] Kemp, D.B., Sadler, P.M., Vanacker, V., 2020. The human impact on north American erosion, sediment transfer, and storage in a geologic context. Nat. Commun. 11 (1), 6012. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19744-3.

[35] Lamb, A.L., Wilson, G.P., Leng, M.J., 2006. A review of coastal palaeoclimate and relative sea-level reconstructions using δ¹³C and C/N ratios in organic material. Earth Sci. Rev. 75, 29-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2005.10.003.

[36] Li, C., Wang, P., Sun, H., Zhang, J., Fan, D., Deng, B., 2002. Late Quaternary incised-valley fill of the Yangtze delta (China): Its stratigraphic framework and evolution. Sediment. Geol. 152, 133-158. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0037-0738(02)00066-0.

[37] Li, G., Wang, X.T., Yang, Z., Mao, C., West, A.J., Ji, J., 2015. Dam-triggered organic carbon sequestration makes the Changjiang (Yangtze) river basin (China) a significant carbon sink. J. Geophys. Res. Biogeosci. 120, 39-53. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JG002646.

[38] Lin, B., Liu, Z., Zhao, M., Sompongchaiyakul, P., Zhang, H., Blattmann, T.M., Feng, S., Wiesner, M.G., Le, K.P., Meas, R., Sathiamurthy, E., 2023. Compositions and sources of sedimentary organic carbon on the tropical epicontinental sea. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 351, 32-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2023.04.030.

[39] Lin, J., Wu, Y., Zhang, J., Yang, S., Zhu, Z., 2007. Seasonal variation of organic carbon fluxes in the Yangtze River and influence of Three-Gorges engineering. China Environ. Sci. 27 (2), 246-249 (in Chinese with English abstract).

[40] Liu, F., Hu, J., Wang, W., Tong, X., Huang, C., Liao, W., 2018. Variations in the distribution and compound-specific stable carbon isotopic compositions of n-alkanes recorded in Lake Nanyi sediments from the Middle-lower Yangtze region since 8.0 ka BP and implications for the Paleoclimate. Geochimica 47, 89-101 (in Chinese with English abstract).

[41] Liu, J.P., Xu, K., Li, A.E.A., Milliman, J.D., Velozzi, D.M., Xiao, S.B., Yang, Z.S., 2007. Flux and fate of Yangtze River sediment delivered to the East China Sea. Geomorphology 85 (3-4), 208-224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.03.023.

[42] Lu, Y., Teng, Z., 2015. General History of the Chinese Population. China Social Sciences Press, Beijing, pp. 450-496 (in Chinese).

[43] Luan, H.L., Ding, P.X., Yang, S.L., Wang, Z.B., 2021. Accretion-erosion conversion in the subaqueous Yangtze Delta in response to fluvial sediment decline. Geomorphology 382, 107680. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2021.107680.

[44] Mayer, L.M., Schick, L.L., Allison, M.A., Ruttenberg, K.C., Bentley, S.J., 2007. Marine vs. terrigenous organic matter in Louisiana coastal sediments: The uses of bromine: organic carbon ratios. Mar. Chem. 107, 244-254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2007.07.007.

[45] Middelburg, J.J., Herman, P.M.J., 2007. Organic matter processing in tidal estuaries. Mar. Chem. 106, 127-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2006.02.007.

[46] Ministry of Water Resources of the People’s Republic of China, 2023.China River Sediment Bulletin. Available from

[47] Nienhuis, J.H., Ashton, A.D., Edmonds, D.A., Hoitink, A.J.F., Kettner, A.J., Rowland, J.C., Törnqvist, T.E., 2020. Global-scale human impact on delta morphology has led to net land area gain. Nature 577 (7791), 514-518. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05079-0.

[48] Pan, D., Wang, Z., Zhan, Q., Saito, Y., Wu, H., Yang, S., Cheng, H., 2020. Organic geochemical evidence of past changes in hydro- and sediment-dynamic processes at river mouths: A case study of Holocene sedimentary records in the Changjiang River Delta, China. Cont. Shelf Res. 204, 104189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2020.104189.

[49] Peng, F., Nie, J., Toonen, W., Li, H., Hu, Z., Pan, B., 2024. Persistent ENSO forcing on Holocene flooding in the middle-lower Yangtze River at millennial timescales. Geophys. Res. Lett. 51, e2023GL107657. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL107657.

[50] Rana, F., Hussain, B., Nassani, A.A., Hussain, A., Haffar, M., Naqvi, S.A.A., 2024. Contribution of hydro energy production, economic complexity and technological innovation in achieving an environmentally sustainable Asia. Geosci. Front. 15 (5), 101876. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2024.101876.

[51] Regnier, P., Resplandy, L., Najjar, R.G., Ciais, P., 2022. The land-to-ocean loops of the global carbon cycle. Nature 603, 401-410. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04339-9.

[52] Reimer, P.J., Austin, W.E.N., Bard, E., Bayliss, A., Blackwell, P.G., Ramsey, C.B., Butzin, M., Cheng, H., Edwards, R.L., Friedrich, M., Grootes, P.M., Guilderson, T.P., Hajdas, I., Heaton, T.J., Hogg, A.G., Hughen, K.A., Kromer, B., Manning, S.W., Muscheler, R., Palmer, J.G., Pearson, C., van der Plicht, J., Reimer, R.W., Richards, D.A., Scott, E.M., Southon, J.R., Turney, C.S.M., Wacker, L., Adolphi, F., Büntgen, U., Capano, M., Fahrni, S.M., Fogtmann-Schulz, A., Friedrich, R., Köhler, P., Kudsk, S., Miyake, F., Olsen, J., Reinig, F., Sakamoto, M., Sookdeo, A., Talamo, S., 2020. The IntCal 20 Northern Hemisphere radiocarbon age calibration curve (0-55 cal kBP). Radiocarbon 62, 725-757. https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2020.41.

[53] Ren, G., 2007. Changes in forest cover in China during the Holocene. Vegetation History Archaeobot. 16, 119-126. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-006-0075-5.

[54] Shields, M.R., Bianchi, T.S., Mohrig, D., Hutchings, J.A., Kenney, W.F., Kolker, A.S., Curtis, J.H., 2017. Carbon storage in the Mississippi River delta enhanced by environmental engineering. Nat. Geosci. 10, 846-851. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo3044.

[55] Sobrinho, R.D.L., Bernardes, M.C., De Rezende, C.E., Kim, J.-H., Schouten, S., Sinninghe Damsté J.S., 2021. A multiproxy approach to characterize the sedimentation of organic carbon in the Amazon continental shelf. Mar. Chem. 232, 103961. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2021.103961.

[56] Song, S., Santos, I.R., Yu, H., Wang, F., Burnett, W.C., Bianchi, T.S., Dong, J., Lian, E., Zhao, B., Mayer, L., Yao, Q., Yu, Z., Xu, B., 2022. A global assessment of the mixed layer in coastal sediments and implications for carbon storage. Nat. Commun. 13, 4903. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32650-0.

[57] Southon, J., Kashgarian, M., Fontugne, M., Metivier, B., Yim, W.-W.-S., 2002. Marine reservoir corrections for the Indian Ocean and southeast Asia. Radiocarbon 44, 167-180. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033822200064778.

[58] Stanley, D.J., Warne, A.G., 1994. Worldwide initiation of Holocene marine deltas by deceleration of sea-level rise. Science 265, 228-231. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.265.5169.228.

[59] Su, J., Fan, D., 2018. Internal facies architecture and evolution history of Changxing Mouth-Bar complex in the Changjiang (Yangtze) Delta, China. J. Ocean Univ. China 17, 1281-1289. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-018-3814-y.

[60] Su, J., Fan, D., Liu, J.P., Wu, Y., 2020. Anatomy of the transgressive depositional system in a sediment-rich tide-dominated estuary: The paleo-Yangtze estuary, China. Mar. Pet. Geol. 121, 104588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2020.104588.

[61] Sun, X., Fan, D., Hu, L., Yang, Z., Guo, Z., 2022. Oxidation of petrogenic organic carbon in a large river-dominated estuary. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 338, 136-153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2022.10.028.

[62] Sun, X., Fan, D., Liao, H., Tian, Y., 2020. Fate of organic carbon burial in modern sediment within Yangtze River estuary. J. Geophys. Res.: Biogeosci. 125, e2019JG005379. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JG005379.

[63] Sun, X., Hu, L., Fan, D., Wang, H., Yang, Z., Guo, Z., 2024. Sediment resuspension accelerates the recycling of terrestrial organic carbon at a large river-coastal ocean interface. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 38 (7), e2024GB008213. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GB008213.

[64] Tan, F.C., Cai, D.L., Edmond, J.M., 1991. Carbon isotope geochemistry of the Changjiang estuary. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 32, 395-403. https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-7714(91)90051-C.

[65] Wang, C., Bendle, J.A., Greene, S.E., Griffiths, M.L., Huang, J., Moossen, H., Zhang, H., Ashley, K., Xie, S., 2019. Speleothem biomarker evidence for a negative terrestrial feedback on climate during Holocene warm periods. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 525, 115754. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.115754.

[66] Wang, C., Hao, Z., Gao, J., Feng, Z., Ding, Y., Zhang, C., Zou, X., 2020. Reservoir construction has reduced organic carbon deposition in the East China Sea by half since 2006. Geophys. Res. Lett. 47, e2020GL087357. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL087357.

[67] Wang, H., Saito, Y., Zhang, Y., Bi, N., Sun, X., Yang, Z., 2011. Recent changes of sediment flux to the western Pacific Ocean from major rivers in East and Southeast Asia. Earth Sci. Rev. 108 (1-2), 80-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2011.06.003.

[68] Wang, X., Ma, H., Li, R., Song, Z., Wu, J., 2012. Seasonal fluxes and source variation of organic carbon transported by two major Chinese Rivers: The Yellow River and Changjiang (Yangtze) river. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 26 (2), GB2025. https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GB004130.

[69] Wang, Z., Saito, Y., Zhan, Q., Nian, X., Pan, D., Wang, L., Chen, T., Xie, J., Li, X., Jiang, X., 2018. Three-dimensional evolution of the Yangtze River mouth, China during the Holocene: impacts of sea-level, climate and human activity. Earth Sci. Rev. 185, 938-955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2018.08.012.

[70] Wang, D., Li, M., Zhang, S., Xu, Q., Wu, L., 2022. Spatial and temporal characteristics of the precipitation response to the 4.2 ka event in the Asian summer monsoon region. Glob. Planet. Change 214, 103854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2022.103854.

[71] Wu, H., Shen, H., Yan, Y., Wang, Y., 2007a. Preliminary study on sediment flux into the sea from Changjiang estuary. J. Sediment Res. 6, 75-81 (in Chinese with English abstract).

[72] Wu, H., Wang, Y.P., Gao, S., Xing, F., Tang, J., Chen, D., 2022. Fluid mud dynamics in a tide-dominated estuary: A case study from the Yangtze River. Cont. Shelf Res. 232, 104623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2021.104623.

[73] Wu, X., Bi, N., Syvitski, J., Saito, Y., Xu, J., Nittrouer, J.A., Bianchi, T.S., Yang, Z., Wang, H., 2020a. Can reservoir regulation along the Yellow River be a sustainable way to save a sinking delta? Earth’s. Future 8, e2020EF001587. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EF001587.

[74] Wu, X., Wang, H., Bi, N., Saito, Y., Xu, J., Zhang, Y., Lu, T., Cong, S., Yang, Z., 2020b. Climate and human battle for dominance over the Yellow River’s sediment discharge: From the Mid-Holocene to the Anthropocene. Mar. Geol. 425, 106188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2020.106188.

[75] Wu, Y., Bao, H., Yu, H., Zhang, J., Kattner, G., 2015. Temporal variability of particulate organic carbon in the lower Changjiang (Yangtze River) in the post-three Gorges Dam period: Links to anthropogenic and climate impacts. J. Geophys. Res.: Biogeosci. 120, 2194-2211. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JG002927.

[76] Wu, Y., Dittmar, T., Ludwichowski, K.-U., Kattner, G., Zhang, J., Zhu, Z.Y., Koch, B.P., 2007b. Tracing suspended organic nitrogen from the Yangtze River catchment into the East China Sea. Mar. Chem. 107 (3), 367-377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2007.01.022.

[77] Wu, Y., Eglinton, T.I., Zhang, J., Montlucon, D.B., 2018. Spatiotemporal variation of the quality, origin, and age of particulate organic matter transported by the Yangtze River (Changjiang). J. Geophys. Res.: Biogeosci. 123, 2908-2921. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JG004285.

[78] Xing, L., Zhang, H., Yuan, Z., Sun, Y., Zhao, M., 2011. Terrestrial and marine biomarker estimates of organic matter sources and distributions in surface sediments from the East China Sea shelf. Cont. Shelf Res. 31, 1106-1115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2011.04.003.

[79] Xue, C., 1993. Historical changes in the Yellow River delta, China. Mar. Geol. 113, 321-330. https://doi.org/10.1016/0025-3227(93)90025-Q.

[80] Yang, S., Tang, M., Yim, W.-W.-S., Zong, Y., Huang, G., Switzer, A.D., Saito, Y., 2011a. Burial of organic carbon in Holocene sediments of the Zhujiang (Pearl River) and Changjiang (Yangtze River) estuaries. Mar. Chem. 123 (1-4), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2010.07.001.

[81] Yang, S.L., Luo, X., Temmerman, S., Kirwan, M., Bouma, T., Xu, K., Zhang, S., Fan, J., Shi, B., Yang, H., Wang, Y.P., Shi, X., Gao, S., 2020. Role of delta-front erosion in sustaining salt marshes under sea-level rise and fluvial sediment decline. Limnol. Oceanogr. 65, 1990-2009. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11432.

[82] Yang, S.L., Milliman, J.D., Li, P., Xu, K., 2011b. 50,000 dams later: Erosion of the Yangtze River and its delta. Glob. Planet. Change 75, 14-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2010.09.006.

[83] Yang, Y., Gao, C., Yamoah, K.A., Lü X., Ruan, X., Yang, H., Xie, S., 2023. Contributions of the Yangtze River and Yellow River to terrestrial organic carbon deposition in the Yangtze River estuary during the last 700 years. Mar. Chem. 255, 104298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2023.104298.

[84] Yao, P., Zhao, B., Bianchi, T.S., Guo, Z., Zhao, M., Li, D., Pan, H., Wang, J., Zhang, T., Yu, Z., 2014. Remineralization of sedimentary organic carbon in mud deposits of the Changjiang Estuary and adjacent shelf: Implications for carbon preservation and authigenic mineral formation. Cont. Shelf Res. 91, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2014.08.010.

[85] Yu, H., Wu, Y., Zhang, J., Yao, Q., Zhu, Z., 2007. The characteristics of lignin of plant and soil samples in the Yangtze River (Chagjiang) drainage basin. Acta Sci. Circum. 27(5), 817-82 https://doi.org/10.13671/j.hjkxxb.2007.05.019.in Chinese with English abstract).

[86] Yuan, B., Sun, J., Lin, B., Zhang, F., 2020. Long-term morphodynamics of a large estuary subject to decreasing sediment supply and sea-level rise. Glob. Planet. Change 191, 103212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2020.103212.

[87] Zhan, Q., Wang, Z., Xie, Y., Xie, J., He, Z., 2012. Assessing C/N and δ¹³C as indicators of Holocene sea-level and freshwater discharge changes in the subaqueous Yangtze delta, China. The Holocene 22, 697-704. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683611423685.

[88] Zhang, H., Li, D.-W., Sachs, J.P., Yuan, Z., Wang, Z., Su, C., Zhao, M., 2021. Hydrodynamic processes and source changes caused elevated ¹⁴C ages of organic carbon in the East China Sea over the last 14.3 kyr. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 304, 347-363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2021.04.015.

[89] Zhang, J., Wu, Y., Jennerjahn, T.C., Ittekkot, V., He, Q., 2007. Distribution of organic matter in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary and their stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios: Implications for source discrimination and sedimentary dynamics. Mar. Chem. 106, 111-126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2007.02.003.

[90] Zhang, Y., Fan, D., Qin, R., 2020. Estuary-shelf interactions off the Changjiang Delta during a dry-wet seasonal transition. Mar. Geol. 426, 106211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2020.106211.

[91] Zhao, B., Yao, P., Bianchi, T.S., Arellano, A.R., Wang, X., Yang, J., Su, R., Wang, J., Xu, Y., Huang, X., Chen, L., Ye, J., Yu, Z., 2018. The remineralization of sedimentary organic carbon in different sedimentary regimes of the Yellow and East China Seas. Chem. Geol. 495, 104-117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2018.08.012.

[92] Zhao, B., Yao, P., Bianchi, T.S., Wang, X., Shields, M.R., Schröder, C., Yu, Z., 2023. Preferential preservation of pre-aged terrestrial organic carbon by reactive iron in estuarine particles and coastal sediments of a large river-dominated estuary. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 345, 34-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2023.01.023.

[93] Zhao, B., Yao, P., Li, D., Yu, Z., 2021. Effects of river damming and delta erosion on organic carbon burial in the Changjiang estuary and adjacent East China Sea inner shelf. Sci. Total Environ. 793, 148610. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148610.

[94] Zhao, G., Ye, S., He, L., Yuan, H., Ding, X., Wang, J., Laws, E.A., 2020. Historical change of carbon burial in Late Quaternary sediments of the ancient Yellow River delta on the west coast of Bohai Bay, China. CATENA 193, 104619. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2020.104619.

[95] Zhao, G., Ye, S., Li, G., Ding, X., Yuan, H., 2015. Late Quaternary strata and carbon burial records in the Yellow River Delta, China. J. Ocean Univ. China 14, 446-456. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-015-2773-z.

[96] Zhou, L., Yang, Y., Shi, Y., Xu, X., Wang, Y.P., Jia, J., Gao, J.H., Gao, S., 2022. Changes in organic carbon delivery to the Yangtze River Delta over the last 2000 years. Front. Mar. Sci. 9, 867820. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.867820.

[97] Zhu, J., Olsen, C.R., 2014. Sedimentation and organic carbon burial in the Yangtze River and Hudson river estuaries: Implications for the global carbon budget. Aquat. Geochem. 20, 325-342. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-013-9191-x.

[98] Zong, Y., 2004. Mid-Holocene sea-level highstand along the southeast coast of China. Quat. Int. 117 (1), 55-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1040-6182(03)00116-2.

[99] Zong, Y., Lloyd, J.M., Leng, M.J., Yim, W.-W.-S., Huang, G., 2006. Reconstruction of Holocene monsoon history from the Pearl River estuary, southern China, using diatoms and carbon isotope ratios. The Holocene 16, 251-263. https://doi.org/10.1191/0959683606hl911rp.