Tropical mountain river systems that drain rainforests and experience tropical monsoons typically demonstrate high runoff and discharge a disproportionate amount of particulate load to the world’'s oceans compared with other more temperate river systems. As a typical tropical small mountainous river with an broad continental shelf system and wave dominated environment, the Kelantan River is one of the few north-flowing streams in Southeast Asia that discharges into the broad and shallow continental shelf of South China Sea. The existence of seasonal variations of salinity, turbidity, and sediment composition indicate that coarse-grained sediments are deposited rapidly when terrestrial sediments delivered by the Kelantan River leave the river mouth. They are then reworked by wave action during the rainy season, leading to the development and rapid migration of barrier spits near the west side of the river mouth. Under the influence of the seasonal variations in the river plume, fine-grained sediments discharged into the sea by the Kelantan River are transported both along-shore and cross-shore, and most of them are deposited in the continental shelf area within 10 km of the river mouth, because of rapid removal of sediments from the river plume. The spatial distribution patterns of sediment composition, C/N ratio, terrestrial organic carbon content, and Sr/Al ratio also support our conclusion.

与其他温带河流系统相比，排干雨林并经历热带季风的热带山区河流系统通常表现出高径流量，并向世界海洋排放不成比例的颗粒物。吉兰丹河是典型的热带小型山区河流，具有宽阔的陆架系统和波浪为主的环境，是东南亚为数不多的向北流入南海陆架的河流之一。盐度，浊度和沉积物组成的季节性变化的存在表明，当吉兰丹河输送的地面沉积物离开河口时，粗粒沉积物迅速沉积。然后在雨季通过波浪动作对其进行重新加工，导致河口西侧附近障碍物的发展和快速迁移。在河羽季节性变化的影响下，吉兰丹河排入海中的细粒沉积物沿岸和跨岸运输，其中大部分沉积在距海岸约10公里的大陆架区域。由于迅速清除了河羽中的沉积物，因此在河口。沉积物组成，C / N比，陆地有机碳含量和Sr / Al比的空间分布规律也支持我们的结论。由于快速清除了河羽中的沉积物，它们大部分沉积在距河口10公里以内的大陆架地区。沉积物组成，C / N比，陆地有机碳含量和Sr / Al比的空间分布规律也支持我们的结论。由于快速清除了河羽中的沉积物，它们大部分沉积在距河口10公里以内的大陆架地区。沉积物组成，C / N比，陆地有机碳含量和Sr / Al比的空间分布规律也支持我们的结论。