Delayed response of the coastal sedimentary record to the southward shift of the Huanghe (Yellow River) course during AD1128–1855

The sediment source-to-sink process is an important topic in marine sedimentology. However, how sedimentary signals evolve along source-to-sink path remains less clear. This study focuses on the southward shift of the Huanghe River course between AD 1128 and 1855, and the manifestation and variation of sedimentary signals in a natural diffusion system were investigated through sedimentological analysis of three spatially adjacent regions, the abandoned Huanghe Delta, the central coast of Jiangsu, and the Changjiang Delta. Laboratory analyses including Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL), geochemical element analysis, and grain size analysis, were conducted. The results show that sedimentary signals manifest in various forms, primarily manifested in two ways: grain size refinement and sedimentation rate acceleration. The fining of grain size is most pronounced in the abandoned Huanghe delta, followed by the central coast of Jiangsu, and is least pronounced in the Changjiang subaqueous delta. The response of the coastal system to the event was delayed by approximately 0–100, 100–300, and 300–500 years for the abandoned Huanghe Delta, the central coast of Jiangsu, and the Changjiang River Delta, respectively. These findings indicate that sediment transport processes exhibit sedimentary signal attenuation and response lag. This study not only highlights the variation along the source-sink path of coastal sedimentary signals but also illuminates the sedimentary record of drastic changes in sediment flux, which will help study the source-to-sink process given the variable changes in sedimentary fluxes.