Huanghe (Yellow River) and its estuary: Sediment origin, transport and deposition

The upper part of the Huanghe (Yellow River) drainage basin supplies 50-60% of the annual water discharge and only 10% of the total river sediment load, while the middle reaches contribute 30-40% of the water flow and 90% of the annual sediment load, because of severe erosion over the Loess Plateau. Large variations in both annual water discharge and sediment load occur in the Huanghe. Heavy sedimentation in the lower reaches of the channel makes the river bed aggrade several centimetres per year. Of the suspended sediment in the river, 90-95% is deposited in the lower part of the river course and in the coastal shallow water area; less than 5-10% escapes from Laizhou Bay and enters the Central Bohai and/or North Huanghai (Yellow Sea). The active delta complex now propagates seawards at a mean rate of 42 km² year^-1.