Ma, HongboNittrouer, Jeffrey A.Naito, KensukeFu, XudongZhang, YuanfengMoodie, Andrew J.Wang, YuanjianWu, BaoshengParker, Gary2017-07-142017-07-142017Ma, Hongbo, Nittrouer, Jeffrey A., Naito, Kensuke, et al.. "The exceptional sediment load of fine-grained dispersal systems: Example of the Yellow River, China." <i>Science Advances,</i> 3, no. 5 (2017) AAAS: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1603114.https://hdl.handle.net/1911/95195Sedimentary dispersal systems with fine-grained beds are common, yet the physics of sediment movement within them remains poorly constrained. We analyze sediment transport data for the best-documented, fine-grained river worldwide, the Huanghe (Yellow River) of China, where sediment flux is underpredicted by an order of magnitude according to well-accepted sediment transport relations. Our theoretical framework, bolstered by field observations, demonstrates that the Huanghe tends toward upper-stage plane bed, yielding minimal form drag, thus markedly enhancing sediment transport efficiency. We present a sediment transport formulation applicable to all river systems with silt to coarse-sand beds. This formulation demonstrates a remarkably sensitive dependence on grain size within a certain narrow range and therefore has special relevance to silt-sand fluvial systems, particularly those affected by dams.engDistributed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0 (CC BY-NC).Journal articlesediment transportFine-grainedBed formUpper-regime plane bedPhase transitionEquilibrium transportYellow RiverLarge aspect ratio dunese1603114.fullhttps://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1603114