Examining the evolution of tidal creeks in the Huanghe River delta using multi-temporal Landsat images

Coastal tidal creeks are important channels for exchanges of material and energy between sea and land,and play an important role in the ecological protection of tidal flats.Although tidal creeks have evolved differently in various regions,the evolutionary process of tidal creeks in the Huanghe(Yellow)River delta of China,one of the most active deltas worldwide,is not entirely clear.Therefore,the evolution of tidal creeks in the delta from 1981 to 2021 was investigated by quantitatively analysing the tidal creeks and developing a standard for dividing their evolution periods.Visual interpretation and supervised classification methods were applied to the Landsat images to extract the tidal creek network,and 17 groups of tidal creek systems were selected.Results indicate that Creek S 1 was the most developed creek for having 113 tidal creeks totaling 65.8 km in length,while Creek E 3 had the fastest growth rate for having average annual increase of 1.9 km.Meanwhile,the level of tidal creeks increased,the average and median lengths of tidal creeks increased,and the number of tidal creeks decreased since 1981.The evolution of the tidal creek system could be divided into four stages,namely,rising,developing,stabilizing,and degrading.Analyses of a representative tidal creek show that there was no degenerated tidal creek during the rising period,with an increase in the number of 50 and a length increase of 57.9 km between 1981 and 1989.The proportion of new tidal creeks in the developing period was more than 50%and the new tidal creeks in the stabilizing period were equal to the degraded tidal creeks.Extinct tidal creeks were greater than 50%during the degrading period.There was no fixed order of tidal creek evolution in each period,and there may be a skip in evolution.Our findings provided a reference for studying the evolution of tidal creeks.

Multiple grain-size fraction analysis of heavy minerals and the provenance identification of sediments from the abandoned Huanghe River,eastern China

The quantitative analysis of sediment sources in a sink is an important scientific topic and challenge in provenance research.The characteristics of heavy minerals,combined with the geochemical constituents of detrital grains,provide a reliable provenance-tracing approach.We developed a mineral identification method to analyze the multiple grain-size fraction of sediments,from which the elemental geochemistry of hornblende was used to compare the characteristics of sediments from the Huaihe River and Huanghe(Yellow)River in eastern China.Elements that were statistically identified as being able to discriminate sediment provenance were employed to perform a quantitative analysis of the sources of sediments of the abandoned Huanghe River.Results reveal that the Huaihe River is characterized by a high amphibole content of>60%and that the Huanghe and abandoned Huanghe rivers have greater abundances of limonite and carbonate minerals compared with those of the Huaihe River.The contents of trace elements and rare earth elements in hornblende show that the sediments of the abandoned Huanghe River are similar to those of the Huanghe River but different from those of the Huaihe River.Furthermore,chemical mass balance was used to calculate the relative contributions of different provenances of sediment from the abandoned Huanghe River,and nine trace elements of hornblende were identified as discriminators of provenance.Approximately 2%of the hornblende in the abandoned Huanghe River is derived from the Huaihe River and 98%from the Huanghe River.Considering the proportion of hornblende in the total sediment,it is inferred that the contribution of Huaihe River sediment to the abandoned Huanghe River is approximately 0.5%.This study shows that mineral analysis using multiple grain-size fractions(within the wide range of 1Φto 6Φ)with assessment in elemental geochemistry of hornblende can characterize the provenance of fluvial material in coastal zones.

Study on strength properties and soil behaviour type classification of Huanghe River Delta silts based on variable rate piezocone penetration test

Fine-grained silt is widely distributed in the Huanghe River Delta(HRD)in China,and the sedimentary structure is complex,meaning that the clay content in the silt is variable.The piezocone penetration test(CPTu)is the most widely approved in situ test method.It can be used to invert soil properties and interpret soil behavior.To analyse the strength properties of surface sediments in the HRD,this paper evaluated the friction angle and its inversion formula through the CPTu penetration test and monotonic simple shear test and other soil unit experiments.The evaluation showed that the empirical formula proposed by Kulhawy and Mayne had better prediction and inversion effect.The HRD silts with clay contents of 9.2%,21.4%and 30.3%were selected as samples for the CPTu variable rate penetration test.The results show as follows.(1)The effects of the clay content on the tip resistance and the pore pressure of silt under different penetration rates were summarized.The tip resistance Q_t is strongly dependent on the clay content of the silt,the B_(q)value of the silt tends to 0 and is not significantly affected by the change of the CPTu penetration rate.(2)Five soil behavior type classification charts and three soil behavior type indexes based on CPTu data were evaluated.The results show that the soil behavior type classification chart based on soil behavior type index ISBT,the Robertson 2010 behavior type classification chart are more suitable for the silty soil in the HRD.

Using radium isotopes to quantify submarine groundwater discharge at different scales in the Huanghe River Estuary,China

As an important land-ocean interaction process,submarine groundwater discharge(SGD)is composed of multiple dynamical processes at different scales and plays an important role in the study of coastal ocean geochemical budgets.However,most of the existing studies focus on the quantification of the total groundwater discharge,few studies are about the differentiation and quantification of groundwater discharge processes at different scales(i.e.,short-scale SGD and long-scale SGD).As a world-class river,the Huanghe River is highly turbid and heavily regulated by humans.These natural and anthropogenic factors have a significant impact on groundwater discharge processes in the Huanghe River Estuary(HRE).In this study,the distribution patterns of the natural geochemical tracer radium isotopes(^(224)Ra and^(223)Ra)and other hydrological parameters in the HRE were investigated during four cruises.By solving the mass balance of^(224)Ra and^(223)Ra in the HRE,the long-scale SGD flux was quantified as 0.01−0.19 m/d,and the short-scale SGD flux was 0.03−0.04 m/d.The rate of short-scale SGD remained essentially constant among seasons,while the rate of long-scale SGD varied considerably at different periods and showed a synchronous trend with the variation of river discharge.The results of this study are significant for understanding the SGD dynamics in the HRE and the contribution of SGD to the ocean geochemical budgets.

Application of sequential extraction for analyzing source and sink of uranium in Huanghe River sediments,China

Geochemical behaviors of heavy metals are closely related to their chemical state that can be divided by sequential extraction into exchangeable(F1),bound to carbonates(F2),bound to Fe-Mn oxides(F3),bound to organic matter or sulfide(F4),and residual(F5).Uranium in sediment of the Huanghe(Yellow)River,China,in different chemical states was extracted using the five-step procedure of Tessier and the source and sink were analyzed.Results show that more than 70%of the total uranium was immobile residual F5 in abundance,followed in order of F4>F3>F2>F1,indicating that the main source of uranium in the sediments was from weathered rock in the drainage basin.In addition,the uranium in the sediments presents potential exogenous input in the Lanzhou,Baotou,and Tongguan reach.Fe-Mn oxides are main carriers of unstable uranium,especially those of F1 and F3.Calcite and illite are secondary adsorption minerals of unstable uranium in sediments under natural conditions.Human activities can also produce an obvious impact on uranium speciation.This study provides a reference for the application of sequential extraction in analyzing the source and sink of uranium in river sediments.

Distribution characteristics and controlling factors of typical heavy metals in Huanghe River estuary,China

The geochemical characteristics and potential controlling factors of colloidal Zn,Cd,and Pb in Huanghe(Yellow)River estuary(HRE),China were investigated.The three metals were highly variable over a range of spatiotemporal scales,comprehensively forced by various physical and biological processes.Total dissolved Zn,Cd,and Pb varied from 200.1 to 321.7,2.6 to 4.1,and 0.5 to 1.0 nmol/L,respectively.Only one near-estuarine station of Zn had contamination factor values>1,which indicate the lower contaminant levels.Five dissolved species of Zn,Cd and Pb were fractionated,namely<1 kDa,1-3 kDa,3-10 kDa,10-100 kDa,and 100 kDa-0.45μm.The<1 kDa truly dissolved phase was the main fraction of the three dissolved metals(50%-62%),while the 100-kDa-0.45-μm high molecular weight colloidal fraction was dominant in their respective colloidal phase.Territorial input and sediment acted as important sources of strong ligands and natural colloids for the HRE water system.<3-kDa Zn and Pb were susceptible to the dissolved oxygen,the behaviors of colloidal Zn and 3-10-kDa Pb were related to dissolved organic carbon(DOC).However,no significant correlation between each dissolved fraction of Cd and salinity,pH,temperature,colloidal organic carbon,and DOC was found in this study.Overall,these findings,completed by the evaluation of the dissolved species of Zn,Cd,and Pb at 10 sites over the river-sea mixing zone,provided new insights into the colloidal heterogeneity that affect metals geochemical features,migration and fate in estuaries.

MODERN SEDIMENTATION RATES AND SEDIMENTATION FEATURE IN THE HUANGHE RIVER ESTUARY BASED ON ^(210)Pb TECHNIQUE

Based on Pb technique, sedimentation rates of 11 cores collected from the Huanghe River estuary were determined. CaCO3 distribution of 4 cores chosen from among these was measured. Profiles of 210Pb in the cores showed that the distribution of 210Pb activity decayed with depth, appeared in stages and in more than one segment. The sedimentation rates,210Pb and CaCO3 data have similar distribution trend in the 4 cores. Jhe profiles of Pb and CaCO3 were used to study sedimentation in -tensity, transportation trend of material and sedimentation features in the coring area.

The fractal characteristic change in the Huanghe River Estuary due to the hydrodynamic conditions’variation

The study area lies in the subaqueous delta, which came into being in 1964 - 1976. Oneoil-field road has been built for exploring petroleum to form a wave barrier. The hydrodynarnic conditions on the north side of the road are relatively violent, on the contrary the hydrodynarnic conditions on the south side of the road are nearly placid. This makes the study area a natural laboratory for studying the influence of the hydrodynarnic conditions on the fractal characteristics of the tidal flat. Selecting an area is named Case Ⅰ on the side of stronger hydrodynarnic activities and an area is named Case Ⅱ on the other side. Measuring the topography and sampling and analyzing the granulometrical composition, it is found that the hydrodynarnic conditions have fatal influence on the surface fractal dimensions and the granulometrical fractal dimensions of the area. In Case Ⅰ , which has strong hydrodynarnic conditions, the surface fractal dimensions are obviously larger than those of Case Ⅱ , and the granulometrical fractal dimensions are relatively smaller than those of Case Ⅱ , the surface fractal dimensions of Case Ⅰ decrease quickly with the increase of grid size; the granulometrical fractal dimensions are disperse, while the hydrodynarnic conditions of Case Ⅱ are just reverse. A sampling line and a core sampling on each side of the road are selected. It is found that on the south side of the road the granulometrical fractal dimensions vary regularly in the line and with the depth, the farther apart from the road, the smaller the fractal dimensions, and the deeper the sampling position the larger the fractal dimensions, while granulometrical fractal dimensions on the north side of the road have no such regularity pattern. The mechanism of the influence of the hydrodynarnic conditions on the fractal characteristics is discussed.

CHEMICAL WEATHERING PROCESSES AND ATMOSPHERIC CO_2 CONSUMPTION OF HUANGHE RIVER AND CHANGJIANG RIVER BASINS

Rock weathering plays an important role in studying the long-term carbon cycles and global climatic change. According to the statistics analysis, the Huanghe (Yellow) River water chemistry was mainly controlled by evaporite and carbonate weathering, which were responsible for over 90% of total dissolved ions. As compared with the Huanghe River basin, dissolved load of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River was mainly originated from the carbonate dissolution. The chemical weathering rates were estimated to be 39.29t/(km(2).a) and 61.58t/(km(2).a) by deducting the HCO3- derived from atmosphere in the Huanghe River and Changjiang River watersheds, respectively. The CO2 consumption rates by rock weathering were calculated to be 120.84 x 10(3)mol/km(2) and 452.46 x 10(3)mol/km(2) annually in the two basins, respectively. The total CO2 consumption of the two basins amounted to 918.51 x 10(9)mol/a, accounting for 3.83% of the world gross. In contrast to other world watersheds, the stronger evaporite reaction and infirm silicate weathering can explain such feature that CO2 consumption rates were lower than a global average, suggesting that the sequential weathering may be go on in the two Chinese drainage basins.

Impacts of Climatic Factors on Runoff Coefficients in Source Regions of the Huanghe River

Runoff coefficients of the source regions of the Huanghe River in 1956-2000 were analyzed in this paper. In the 1990s runoff of Tangnaihai Hydrologic Station of the Huanghe River experienced a serious decrease, which had attracted considerable attention. Climate changes have important impact on the water resources availability. From the view of water cycling, runoff coefficients are important indexes of water resources in a particular catchment. Kalinin baseflow separation technique was improved based on the characteristics of precipitation and streamflow. After the separation of runoff coefficient （R/P）, baseflow coefficient （Br/P） and direct runoff coefficient （Dr/P） were estimated. Statistic analyses were applied to assessing the impact of precipitation and temperature on runoff coefficients （including Dr/P, Br/P and R/P）. The results show that in the source regions of the Huanghe River, mean annual baseflow coefficient was higher than mean annual direct runoff coefficient. Annual runoff coefficients were in direct proportion to annual precipitation and in inverse proportion to annual mean temperature. The decrease of runoff coefficients in the 1990s was closely related to the decrease in precipitation and increase in temperature in the same period. Over different sub-basins of the source regions of the Huanghe River, runoff coefficients responded differently to precipitation and temperature. In the area above Jimai Hydrologic Station where annual mean temperature is -3.9℃, temperature is the main factor influencing the runoff coefficients. Runoff coefficients were in inverse relation to temperature, and precipitation had nearly no impact on runoff coefficients. In subbasin between Jimai and Maqu Hydrologic Station Dr/P was mainly affected by precipitation while R/P and Br/P were both significantly influenced by precipitation and temperature. In the area between Maqu and Tangnaihai hydrologic stations all the three runoff coefficients increased with the rising of annual precipitation, while direct runoff coefficient was inversely proportional to temperature. In the source regions of the Huanghe River with the increase of average annual temperature, the impacts of temperature on runoff coefficients become insignificant.

Studies on the regional feature of organic carbon in sediments off the Huanghe River Estuary waters

Organic carbon (OC) in definitely small area sediments(according to marine dimension)off the Huanghe River Estuary is investigated in order to evaluate the feature of regional difference of physical and chemical properties in marginal sea sediments.The distributions of OC in sediments with natural grain size and the relationship with the pH,Eh ,Es and Fe3+/Fe2+ are discussed.In addition,OC decomposition rates in surfacial/subsurfacial sediments are estimated.OC concentrations range from 0.26% to 1.8%(wt)in the study area. Significant differences in OC content and in horizontal distribution as well as various trends in surfacial /subsurfacial sediments exhibit the feature of regional difference remarkably in marginal sea sediments. The complicated distribution of OC in surface sediments is due to the influence of bacterial activity and abundance, bioturbation of benthos and physical disturbance. The OC decomposition rate constant in surfacial /subsurfacial sediments ranges from 0.009 7 to 0.076 a-1 and the relatively high values may be mainly related to bacteria that are mainly responsible for OC mineralization;meio-and macrofauna affect OC degradation both directly, through feeding on it, and indirectly through bioturbation and at the same time coarse sediments are also disadvantageous to OC preservation.In almost all the middle and bottom sediments the contents of OC decrease with the increase of deposition depth, which indicates that mineralization of OC in the middle and bottom sediments has occurred via processes like SO reduction and Fe-oxide reduction.

Estimation of Ecological Water Requirements Based on Habitat Response to Water Level in Huanghe River Delta,China

In recent years,wetland ecological water requirements (EWRs) have been estimated by using hydrological and functional approaches,but those approaches have not yet been integrated for a whole ecosystem.This paper presents a new method for calculating wetland EWRs,which is based on the response of habitats to water level,and determines water level threshold through the functional integrity of habitats.Results show that in the Huanghe (Yellow) River Delta water levels between 5.0 m and 5.5 m are required to maintain the functional integrity of the wetland at a value higher than 0.7.One of the dominant plants in the delta,Phragmites australis,tolerates water level fluctuation of about ± 0.25 m without the change in wetland functional integrity.The minimum,optimum and maximum EWRs for the Huanghe River Delta are 9.42×106 m3,15.56×106 m3 and 24.12×106 m3 with water levels of 5.0 m,5.2 m and 5.5 m,corresponding to functional integrity indices of 0.70,0.84 and 0.72,respectively.A wetland restoration program has been performed,which aims to meet these EWRs in attempt to recover from losses of up to 98% in the delta's former wetland area.

Spatial-temporal changes of tidal flats in the Huanghe River Delta using Landsat TM/ETM+ images

Integrating remote sensing, geographic information system (GIS) and fractal theory, change characteristics of tidal flats and tidal creeks in the Huanghe (Yellow) River Delta over the period of 1986-2001 were discussed. The results show that evolutions of tidal flats throughout the Huanghe River Delta are influenced by various factors, and that progressive succession and regression of tidal flats concur in different coastal segments of the delta. Human activities have played an increasingly important role in the succession process of tidal flats. Due to land reclamation in coastal zones of the delta in the last 15 years, lots of tidal flats were occupied, the artificial coastline migrated seaward (the maximum change rate was 0.8 kmyr-1) and tidal creeks became sparser (the highest decreasing rate of length of tidal creeks was 14.9 kmyr-1). Except for two coastal segments from the Tiaohe Estuary to the 106 Station and from the south of the Huanghe River mouth to the north of the Xiaodao River Estuary, fractal dimension values of tidal creeks in the remaining coastal segments of the delta decreased. In addition, the time dimension, sediment fluxes into the sea, waves and tidal-currents have profound influences on the evolution process of tidal flats. Four types of tidal flats-river-dominated tidal flats, tide-dominated tidal flats, wave-dominated tidal flats and man-dominated tidal flats can be identified. Owing to the intensification of human activities in coastal zones of the delta, man-dominated tidal flats have become the main kind of tidal flats.

Temporal Variations of Water Discharge and Sediment Load of Huanghe River,China

Based on the data from gauging stations, the changes in water discharge and sediment load of the Huanghe （Yellow） River were analyzed by using the empirical mode decomposition （EMD） method. The results show that the periodic oscillation of water discharge and sediment load of the Huanghe River occurs at the interannual, decadal, and multi-decadal scales, caused by the periodic oscillations of precipitation, and E1 Nifio/Southern Oscillation （ENSO） af- fects water discharge by influencing precipitation distribution and contributes to periodic varations in precipitation and water discharge at interannual timescale. The water discharge and sediment load of the Huanghe River have decreased since the 1960s under the influence of precipitation and huamn activities, and human activities attribute more than precipitation to the reduction in the water discharge and sediment load, furthermore, water abstraction and water-soil conservation practices are the main causes of the decrease in water discharge and sediment load, respectively. The reduction in sediment load has directly impacted on the lower reaches of the Huanghe River and the river delta, causing considerable erosion of the river channel in the lower reaches since the 1970s along with River Delta changing siltation into erosion around 2000.

Impact of the water-sediment regulation and a rainstorm on nutrient transport in the Huanghe River

Dissolved nutrient concentration in the Huanghe （Yellow） River at Lijin was monitored during a water-sediment regulation period and a subsequent rainstorm from 14 June to 19 July, 2005. This study provides detailed information on nutrient concentrations in the Huanghe River during the water-sediment regulation and rainstorm periods, and is of significance for the downstream area of the Huanghe River and the Bohai Sea. The average concentrations of nitrate, nitrite and ammonia were 304.7 μmol/L, 0.19 μmol/L, and 1.10 μmol/L, respectively, while the average concentrations of dissolved inorganic phosphorus （DIP） and dissolved silicate （DSi） were 0.23 gmol/L and 122.9 ktmol/L, respectively. Nutrient concentrations during the water-sediment regulation period were mainly influenced by the dilution effect, floodplain effect and sediment resuspension while dilution and erosion effects were the main factors during the rainstorm. The fluxes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen （DIN）, DIP and DSi during the water-sediment regulation and rainstorm periods accounted for 20.4%, 19.5%, 16.7% and 4.97%, 6.45%, 5.47% of the annual nutrient fluxes, respectively. Discharge was the main factor influencing the fluxes of nutrients during both the water- sediment regulation and the rainstorm periods.

Numerical study of three-dimensional wave-induced longshore current's effects on sediment spreading of the Huanghe River mouth

A three-dimensional wave radiation stress is introduced into the hydrodynamic sediment coupled model COHERENS-SED, which has been developed through introducing wave-enhanced bottom shear stress, wave dependent surface drag coefficient, wave-induced surface mixing, SWAN, damping function of sediment on turbulence, sediment model and depth-dependent wave radiation stress to COHERENS. The COHERENS-SED is adopted to study the effects induced by wave-induced three-dimensional longshore current on suspended sediment spreading of the Huanghe River （Yellow River） mouth. Several different cases divided by setting different wave parameters of inputting boundary waves are carried out. The modeling results agree with measurement data. In terms of simulation results, it is easy to know that three-dimensional wave radiation stress plays an obvious role when inputting boundary wave height is stronger than 3 m. Moreover, wave direction also affects the sediment spreading rules of the mouth strongly too.

Evolution history and trend of the modern Huanghe River Delta

The evolvement history of modern Huanghe River Delta tidal flat, coastline and underwater terrain were studied based on the analysis of remote sensing images and water depth data. Based on the analysis of seafloor terrain evolution on different historical stages, a formula simulating the erosion and deposition evolvement model of subaqueous Huanghe River Delta slope was proposed, and the evolvement trend of the subaqueous delta terrain was predicted. The result shows that the equilibrium transition zone is near the water depth of 12 m with seabed erosion in shallower water and accumulation in deeper water during the first 150 a after the river channel was deserted. In the meantime, the underwater slope became gentler and the coastal erosion rate became slow gradually. Then, the subaqueous delta slope changed to up concave from upper convex, and the shape of subaqueous delta disappeared. The coast type changed to silt-mud coast about 100-150 a after the river course was deserted. The erosion depth in the foot of the seawall is calculated based on the formula.

Paleo-environmental evolution based on high-resolution phytolith since 26 ka B. P. in Huanghe River Delta

The Huanghe River Delta is one of the world＇s large rivers, the Huanghe River Delta paleoenvironmental evolution in the Huanghe River has been a hot issue since the Last Glacial. Based on the core time series established by combining AMS 14C dating of Core DYZK1 sediments in submerged of Huanghe River Delta and acoustic sequence on sub-bottom profile, phytolith analyses are carried out on 96 sediment samples. The grain size parameters, magnetic susceptibility are combined with the vertical changes of biostratum to reconstruct the paleo-sedimentary and climatic conditions in the Huanghe River Delta. The study results show that there is a significant vertical change law in the index parameters, and that sedimentary environment of Huanghe River Delta experienced an evolutionary process of fluvial facies-sealand transition facies-tidal flat facies-neritic facies- delta facies since 26.0 ka B. P.. The phytolith analyses results are as following. Firstly, The phytoliths are divided into lanceolate, smooth-elongated, spiny-elongated, rondel, long rectangular, bulliform and other types. In different sedimental environment, the phytolith content changes regularly, indicating that the phytolith assembles in the same sedimentary environment has a certain degree of stability. Secondly, The lanceolate, smooth-elongated and spiny-elongated categories of phytoliths have greater contents in the tidal flat facies and delta deposition, while have a smaller contents in the neritic facies and fluvial facies environment. Thirdly, Through comparative analysis of variation coefficient, the content of major phytolith categories in the sediment has a greater change amplitude in the sealand transition facies and fluvial facies deposition, while being more stable in the tidalflat facies and delta facies deposition.

The influence of water-sediment regulation on macrobenthic community structures in the Huanghe River(Yellow River)Estuary during 2012–2016

To determine if water-sediment regulation has affected macrobenthic community structure in the Huanghe River Estuary,China,macrobenthic samples were collected following regulation events from 2012 to 2016.We identify seven phyla and 138 macrobenthic species from within samples throughout the survey area,over time.Species richness and abundance in 2012 were significantly higher than in 2016.Biomass did not differ significantly during 2012–2016.Dominant species were mostly small polychaetes,with mollusks,arthropods,and echinoderms all being relatively rare.In 2016,dominant species were small polychaetes.MDS reveals macrobenthic communities at all surveyed distances from the estuary to have become the same community structure over time.Shannon-Wiener diversity and Margalef richness indexes trended down over time.CCA reveals the most dominant sediment-dwelling species to prefer lower dissolved oxygen,sulfides,and pH,and sediments with high D50 and low clay content.We speculate that water-sediment regulation has affected seabed communities,particularly Region A in our survey area.

The sedimentary facies and dynamic environment of the Diaokou lobe in the modern Huanghe River Delta of China

The Huanghe River captures the Diaokou River in 1964 and forms a deltaic lobe in the subsequent 12 a. The progradational process of the Diaokou lobe is in associated with complicated evolution of riverine sheet flooding, merging, and swinging. On the basis of 11 borehole cores and 210 km high resolution seismic reflection data set, the sedimentary sequence and dynamic environment of the Diaokou lobe Cone subdelta lobe of the modern Huanghe River Delta） are studied. The stratigraphy of the lobe is characterized by an upward-coarsening ternary structure and forms a progradational deltaic clinoform. Totally six seismic surfaces are identifiable in seismic profiles, bounded six seismic units （SUs）. These SUs correspond to six depositional units （DUs） in the borehole cores, and among them, SUs 4-6 （DUs D to F） consist of the modern Diaokou lobe. Lithological and seismic evidences indicate that the delta plain part of the Diaokou lobe is comprised primarily by fluvial lag sediments together with sediments from sidebanks, overbanks, fluvial flood plains and levees, while the delta front part is a combination of river mouth bar sands （majority） and distal bar and deltaic margin sediments （minority）. As a result of the high sedimentation rate and weak hydrodynamic regime in the Huanghe River Delta, the sediments in the delta front are dominated by fine-grained materials. The grain size analysis indicates the Huanghe River hyperpycnal-concentrated flow shows the suspension, transportation and sedimentation characteristics of gravity flow, and the sediment transportation is primarily dominated by graded suspension, while uniform suspension and hydrostatic suspension are also observed in places. The strength of the hydrodynamic regime weakens gradually offshore from riverbed, river mouth bar, sidebank, distal bar subfacies to delta lateral margin and flooding plain subfacies.