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In situ evidence of self-accelerating turbidity currents.

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Title: In situ evidence of self-accelerating turbidity currents.
Authors: Ma, Hongbo1,2 hongboma@illinois.edu, Deng, Gefei1, Chen, Xingyu1, Wang, Yuanjian3 wangyuanjian_yrcc@aliyun.com, McElroy, Brandon4, Nittrouer, Jeffrey5, Zhang, Yu1, Iwasaki, Toshiki6, Cartigny, Matthieu7, Fu, Xudong1 xdfu@tsinghua.edu.cn
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 6/2/2026, Vol. 123 Issue 22, p1-9. 35p.
Subjects: Turbidity currents, Sediment transport, Watersheds, Reservoir ecology, Fluvial geomorphology, Dimensionless numbers
Geographic Terms: China, Yellow River (China)
Abstract: Self-accelerating turbidity currents (SATCs) are hypothesized to be the primary mechanism for transporting vast amounts of sediment to the deep ocean. However, theoretical predictions of SATCs have preceded field observations by decades, leaving a critical gap in our understanding of this long-distance delivery process. Here, we present results from a four-year field survey of turbidity currents and bathymetric evolution in the Xiaolangdi Reservoir on the Yellow River (China), the world's most sediment-laden river. We provide definitive in situ evidence of SATCs, characterized by synchronous down-channel increases in sediment mass and current momentum, alongside massive channel incision at the event scale. Notably, these SATCs occur in a low-gradient lacustrine setting, challenging the prevailing hypothesis that such phenomena are restricted to steep submarine channels or high velocity conditions. We identify a dimensionless threshold, incorporating current velocity, channel slope, and sediment settling velocity, that governs SATC formation across sublacustrine and marine environments. This threshold provides a robust framework for predicting SATC occurrence and informs engineering strategies to sustain reservoir capacity and restore sediment connectivity in dammed river systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America is the property of National Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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DbLabel: Engineering Source
An: 194360984
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
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  Data: In situ evidence of self-accelerating turbidity currents.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ma%2C+Hongbo%22">Ma, Hongbo</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo><i> hongboma@illinois.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Deng%2C+Gefei%22">Deng, Gefei</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chen%2C+Xingyu%22">Chen, Xingyu</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wang%2C+Yuanjian%22">Wang, Yuanjian</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo><i> wangyuanjian_yrcc@aliyun.com</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22McElroy%2C+Brandon%22">McElroy, Brandon</searchLink><relatesTo>4</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nittrouer%2C+Jeffrey%22">Nittrouer, Jeffrey</searchLink><relatesTo>5</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhang%2C+Yu%22">Zhang, Yu</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Iwasaki%2C+Toshiki%22">Iwasaki, Toshiki</searchLink><relatesTo>6</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cartigny%2C+Matthieu%22">Cartigny, Matthieu</searchLink><relatesTo>7</relatesTo><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fu%2C+Xudong%22">Fu, Xudong</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> xdfu@tsinghua.edu.cn</i>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Turbidity+currents%22">Turbidity currents</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sediment+transport%22">Sediment transport</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Watersheds%22">Watersheds</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Reservoir+ecology%22">Reservoir ecology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fluvial+geomorphology%22">Fluvial geomorphology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Dimensionless+numbers%22">Dimensionless numbers</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22China%22">China</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Yellow+River+%28China%29%22">Yellow River (China)</searchLink>
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  Data: Self-accelerating turbidity currents (SATCs) are hypothesized to be the primary mechanism for transporting vast amounts of sediment to the deep ocean. However, theoretical predictions of SATCs have preceded field observations by decades, leaving a critical gap in our understanding of this long-distance delivery process. Here, we present results from a four-year field survey of turbidity currents and bathymetric evolution in the Xiaolangdi Reservoir on the Yellow River (China), the world's most sediment-laden river. We provide definitive in situ evidence of SATCs, characterized by synchronous down-channel increases in sediment mass and current momentum, alongside massive channel incision at the event scale. Notably, these SATCs occur in a low-gradient lacustrine setting, challenging the prevailing hypothesis that such phenomena are restricted to steep submarine channels or high velocity conditions. We identify a dimensionless threshold, incorporating current velocity, channel slope, and sediment settling velocity, that governs SATC formation across sublacustrine and marine environments. This threshold provides a robust framework for predicting SATC occurrence and informs engineering strategies to sustain reservoir capacity and restore sediment connectivity in dammed river systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America is the property of National Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1073/pnas.2601534123
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 35
        StartPage: 1
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Turbidity currents
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sediment transport
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Watersheds
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Reservoir ecology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fluvial geomorphology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Dimensionless numbers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: China
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Yellow River (China)
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: In situ evidence of self-accelerating turbidity currents.
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              Text: 6/2/2026
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