This paper helps to address the growing need to resolve the severe loss of deltaic lands by providing a new understanding for shallow-water digitate delta growth. The integration of satellite image analysis of modern deltas, field studies of the Ganjiang Delta in the Poyang Lake and ‘Delft3D’ simulations further results in improved facies models for shallow-water digitate deltas. These analyses show that shallow-water digitate delta bar fingers are sinuous in contrast to the straight deep-water digitate delta bar fingers. These differences are assigned to the effect of water depth on outflow hydraulics, where friction-dominated shallow-water delta effluents promote mouth bar deposition that then divert flow around the mouth bar, resulting in the formation of sinuous bar fingers. These effects are further strengthened by the meandering of the shallow-water jet that increases lateral sediment transport, and by the higher flow resistance and lower gradient of the shallow-water outflows. Our data and analyses further show differences in the morphology and deposits of the shallow-water sinuous bar fingers, where some bar fingers develop sinuous and others meandering (with point bars) distributary channels. Lateral channel migration and point bar formation (meandering) occur as a secondary process that does not change the shape or width of the bar fingers themselves, and is suggested to be a function of slight initial differences in channel sinuosity. These differences in distributary channel morphology have a strong effect on bar finger facies distribution. Sediment cohesion is another important control on bar finger bending processes, because high cohesion promotes formation of enclosed bays, where their bank strength exceeds the centrifugal force of water flow. Lower sediment cohesion results in sinuous bar fingers without formation of enclosed bays. This work provides insights into natural and artificial shallow-water digitate delta growth and provides new quantitative facies models for shallow-water digitate deltas.

中文翻译：

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指状浅水三角洲的弯曲条状指：通过将形态学和沉积学研究与数学模型相结合，洞察其形成过程和沉积物

本文通过提供对浅水三角洲增长的新认识，有助于解决解决三角洲土地严重丧失的日益增长的需求。现代三角洲的卫星图像分析、鄱阳湖赣江三角洲的实地研究和“Delft3D”模拟的整合进一步改进了浅水指状三角洲的相模型。这些分析表明，浅水指状三角洲条指与直的深水指状三角洲指相比是弯曲的。这些差异归因于水深对流出水力学的影响，其中以摩擦为主的浅水三角洲流出物促进了口杆沉积，然后转移口杆周围的流动，导致形成弯曲的杆指。浅水射流的蜿蜒增加了侧向沉积物的输送，以及浅水流出的更高的流动阻力和更低的梯度，进一步加强了这些影响。我们的数据和分析进一步显示了浅水曲折条指的形态和沉积物的差异，其中一些条指发展为弯曲的，而另一些则为曲流（带有点条）分流河道。横向通道迁移和点条形成（曲折）作为次要过程发生，不会改变条指本身的形状或宽度，并且被认为是通道弯曲度的轻微初始差异的函数。这些分流河道形态的差异对条状指相分布有很大的影响。沉积物凝聚力是对杆指弯曲过程的另一个重要控制，因为高凝聚力促进了封闭海湾的形成，其中它们的堤岸强度超过了水流的离心力。较低的沉积物内聚力导致弯曲的条状指状物，而没有形成封闭的海湾。这项工作提供了对自然和人工浅水指状三角洲生长的见解，并为浅水指状三角洲提供了新的定量相模型。