Pollen and spore records constrained by millennial prodelta evolution: a case study of the Huanghe (Yellow River) delta

作者：Weifen Hu, Shihao Liu, Yan Liu, Aiping Feng, Wei Feng, Xiuhang Wang, Shenliang Chen · 发表于：Frontiers in Marine Science · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.3389/fmars.2024.1378724 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Geology and Paleoclimatology Research、Geological formations and processes、Aeolian processes and effects

Pollen and spore records in prodeltaic sediments hold significant potential for reconstructing paleoecologic and paleoclimatic evolution. However, uncertainties in these reconstructions arise from millennial-scale prodelta evolution, which dominates stratigraphic development and consequently influences sedimentary processes and/or pollen provenance. Here we explore the intricate relationship between pollen/spore records and prodelta stratigraphic evolution, using established seismic stratigraphy and ten sediment cores (five new, five from literature) within both the proximal and distal (mud belt) parts of the Huanghe (Yellow River) prodelta. In the proximal region, dominant lobate stratigraphic development, accompanied by shifts in river mouth and depocenter, leads to variations in pollen assemblages and contents within individual cores and differences in vertical pollen distribution across core sites. Transport distance appears to be a key factor, with arboreal pollens, particularly saccate ones (e.g., Pinus ), positively correlating with the distance from the river mouth in their percentages within a single delta lobe, while non-arboreal and non-saccate arboreal pollens show higher percentages within shorter transport distances, despite longer distances leading to decreased total pollen concentrations. Likely due to the total pollen concentration after extended long-distance transport, this pattern is not observable in the distal mud belt. Subsurface stratigraphy in this mu...