Sedimentary Processes in Coastal Marine Systems
Summary
Sedimentary processes in coastal marine systems encompass the erosion, transport and deposition of particles under the combined influence of waves, tides, currents and fluvial inputs. These processes sculpt shorelines, estuaries, deltas and continental shelves through suspension, traction and bedload transport. Sea-level fluctuations, tectonic activity and sediment supply govern stratigraphic architecture, facies distribution and the patterns of progradation or retrogradation in depositional systems. Biological reworking (bioturbation) and early diagenesis further modify sediment characteristics. A comprehensive understanding of these dynamics is essential for interpreting palaeoenvironmental change, managing coastal hazards, predicting shoreline evolution and assessing the role of marine sediments in carbon sequestration. Interdisciplinary approaches that integrate geophysical surveying, sedimentological analysis and numerical modelling have advanced our knowledge of sediment transport pathways and depositional patterns in varied coastal settings worldwide.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent studies have elucidated how water-column stratification acts as a dynamic barrier that limits vertical mixing of suspended sediment, thereby retaining fine muds on shallow inner shelves. A process-based investigation of a 1 000 km mud belt off the Changjiang River combined hydrodynamic measurements, provenance tracing and sedimentology to show that seasonal coastal currents and river plume dynamics drive periodic deposition of fine particles. In particular, winter conditions promote constructive accumulation of mud as the river plume, steered by coastal currents, delivers high loads of fine sediment that settle beneath a stratified water column.
Sedimentary Processes in Coastal Marine Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in sedimentary processes in coastal marine systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Sedimentary facies: Distinctive rock or sediment characteristics reflecting depositional processes and environments.
Prodelta: The outermost, fine-grained part of a delta seaward of the delta front.
Water-column stratification: Layering of the water column due to density differences that inhibit vertical mixing.
Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL): A dating method measuring trapped electrons in mineral grains to determine time since last exposure to light.
Regression–transgression cycle: A sequence of falling (regression) and rising (transgression) sea levels recorded in sedimentary strata.
References
- A comprehensive sediment dynamics study of a major mud belt system on the inner shelf along an energetic coast. Scientific Reports (2018).
- Last interglacial sea-level proxies in the Korean Peninsula. Earth System Science Data (2022).
- Revisit the Sedimentary Stratigraphic Evolution and Environmental Changes on the Outer Shelf of the East China Sea Since MIS 5. Frontiers in Marine Science (2022).
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