The Yangtze River (Changjiang) and the Red River (Song Hong) that originate in highlands of the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau, two of the largest rivers in East and Southeast Asia in terms of water and sediment discharge into oceans, play a pivotal role in the global biogeochemical cycle. The Yangtze River Delta is located at the west coast of the East China Sea and the Red River delta at the west coast of the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea. Both were initiated during the early to middle Holocene.

The Yellow River is the second largest river in China, world-famous for its highly sediment-laden water. The Yellow River delta is located in the transitional zone of the river sea interaction, where land and sea interact intensely. This area not only is the sink of the materials from the Yellow River, but also the source of the Yellow River dispersal system into the Bohai Sea. The Yellow River experienced many instances of channel switching and formed ten superlobes during the latest Quaternary. From 8800 yr. cal. BP., the Yellow River has experienced three transgressions. According to the study of Yi et al. (2014), the Yellow River deltas switch and form a new superlobe about every 1500 year. This thesis studied three sediment cores by applying geostatistical analysis and grain size VPCA analysis. I confirmed the approximately 1500-year periodicity for new superlobes by applying VPCA to grain size spectra and by correlating sediment cores in order to build age models to identify the different facies and layers. Smaller crevasse-splay cycles occurred on much shorter cycles, on the order of several decades.The ~1500-yr cycle is probably caused by the interaction of the Eastern Asian Winter Monsoon, the Kuroshio Current, and the Arctic Oscillation. Sea level change is also a very important consideration. Most major river deltas have been found to exhibit a 1000 to 2000-year cycle, which has been attributed to variations in sea level change. However, during the late Holocene, after 6000 Cal yr. BP, when sea levels had essentially reached the modern elevation, the Yellow River delta became quiescent and the Bohai Sea was more stable. In the first chapter, I discuss the Yellow River's history and geological background and describe previous studies on the Yellow River delta. Chapter 2 discusses the methods that have been used in the thesis, specifically the Malvern Mastersizer and geostatical methods including VPCA (varimax principal component analysis) and it describes how to build age models and the quantitative stratigraphic correlation method (Match-2.3.1 in Matlab). I found that VPCA analysis documents that silt and clay are dominant components for cores YDZ-1, YDZ-2, and YDZ-3. The third chapter describes and discusses the wavelet analysis on VPCA components, and demonstrates that the Yellow River delta has a 1500~ year periodicity for the sediment deposition. Less

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the Yangtze River system and its water resources development and management. From the perspectives of geology, hydrology, zoology, ecology, it discusses the Yangtze River’s geological history and aquatic environments, analyses the endangered species along the river basin, and reviews the effects of human hydrolytic activities on its ecosystem. By studying the history of Yangtze River system and its water resources development, it provides insights into the effects of evolution and human activities on the ecosystem of its basin, and offers strategic thoughts on conservation and sustainable development of the Yangtze River. Written by an author with extensive experience in the field, this book is an invaluable reference resource for researchers interested in the Yangtze River.

Geology of the China Seas represents the first English-language synthesis of the available research into the geology of the South and East China Seas. Among the marginal basins worldwide, these areas have been the focus of extensive research activities in the last three decades, and are now among the global hot spots in hydrocarbon explorations and scientific investigations. The region is experiencing rapid economic development with the offshore petroleum industry providing approximately one third of the domestic hydrocarbon production for mainland China. Gas hydrates have been successfully recovered from the China Seas for the first time. Over the years, many volumes on the geology of the China Seas have been published in Chinese. Although an increasing number of papers in English have appeared recently, the majority deal with local or regional paleo-environment and sedimentology, and are scattered in different journals. This book brings together this rich data in one resource, particularly that generated by Chinese marine geologists and petroleum geologists, and provides the very first synthesis of the geology off China. - The first systematic summary of the geology of the China Seas - Includes comprehensive coverage of the South China Sea and the East China Sea, including the Yellow Sea and Bohai Gulf - Reviews hundreds of Chinese publications on marine and petroleum geology not currently accessible to the international community

Des investigations sismiques et sédimentologiques ont été entreprises dans le but d'étudier l'évolution sédimentaire de la région au large de Nyon, en relation avec les processus lacustres et les changements climatiques qui ont eu lieu depuis le retrait du glacier du Rhône (18000 années BP) jusqu' à aujourd'hui. La source des sédiments a progressivement changé des eaux de fonte glaciaires aux cours d'eau locaux et un cône deltaïque, alimenté par les apports de la Promenthouse, de l'Asse et du Boiron, a commencé à se former dans la partie occidentale du Lac Léman. D'importants changements des apports sédimentaires ont eu lieu au cours de l'Holocène: six différents lobes deltaïques, progradant sur les sédiments tardiglaciaires, ont été reconnus au milieu du bassin par l'analyse séismostratigraphique. L'étude des propriétés magnétiques des séquences sédimentaires récoltées a fourni une courbe des variations séculaires du champ magnétique terrestre pour les derniers 16000 ans.

A comprehensive, state-of-the-art synthesis of biogeochemical dynamics and the impact of human alterations at major river-coastal interfaces for advanced students and researchers.