Journal article
Fate of barrier lakes on the plain from sediment-laden river capture
Communications earth & environment, Vol.7(1), 607
05/12/2026
DOI: 10.1038/s43247-026-03615-8
Abstract
Barrier lakes typically form in mountain valleys after landslides block rivers. They develop abruptly and are prone to structural failure, posing threats to nearby areas. Here we propose a plain-region barrier lake type, termed river-capturing barrier lakes. Lakes near the Yellow River, including Hongze and Nansi Lakes, whose beds are elevated above the surrounding landscape, provide representative examples. Historical records, sedimentary analyses and numerical modeling indicate that these lakes formed after Yellow River avulsion and capture, and that a substantial difference in sediment load between the two rivers promoted upstream barrier lake formation on centennial timescales. Human interventions expanded their extent and accelerated their evolution into suspended lakes. While these lakes pose flooding risks like most barrier lakes, they can enhance water storage and allocation capacity for plain regions when properly managed. This dual functionality highlights the need for effective management to balance risks with the socio-economic advantages they provide.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Fate of barrier lakes on the plain from sediment-laden river capture
- Creators
- Hongwu TangSaiyu YuanMing GaoSheng JiangHuiming ZhangJiawei LinYanqing LianGeorge ConstantinescuColin Rennie
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Communications earth & environment, Vol.7(1), 607
- DOI
- 10.1038/s43247-026-03615-8
- ISSN
- 2662-4435
- eISSN
- 2662-4435
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Grant note
- Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Jiangsu Provincial Natural Science Foundation): BK20230036 National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2022YFC3202602) 111 Project (Grant No. B17015) National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China): 52539005, U2340221, 52479098
The authors would like to thank Professor Bidya Sagar Pani of the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, Professor Vladimir Nikora of the University of Aberdeen and Chenge An of the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research for help in revising this work. We also thank the Jiangsu Provincial Engineering Survey Institute for conducting the initial drilling of the 112 sediment cores. No sampling permission was required for this study. H.T. discloses support for the research of this work from the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2022YFC3202602), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52539005), and the 111 Project (Grant No. B17015). S.Y. discloses support for the research of this work from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. U2340221) and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BK20230036). S.J. discloses support for the research of this work from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52479098). The remaining authors declare no relevant funding.
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 05/12/2026
- Academic Unit
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9985163946402771
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