Yellow River estuaries

Sediment shifts reshape microbial life and carbon cycles in Yellow River estuaries

Sediment shifts in the Yellow River estuary are rewriting the rules of microbial life and carbon storage below the seafloor. Comparing cores from the river's abandoned and present channels reveals that where sediment accumulates, reactive iron pools persist, sustaining iron-reducing microbes and fostering a more connected subsurface community. Where sediment supply stops, methane-related functional potential rises as iron declines. This is empirical, measurable evidence that sedimentary regimes govern benthic carbon-cycling potential.