Source-to-sink studies and calculating sediment budgets of ancient systems are important approaches for basin analysis. Because of the enormous scale of basins, most existing studies depend on subsurface datasets. As drilling campaigns focus on structural highs or specific trap types, well datasets cover only limited subareas of entire sedimentary basins. Outcrop studies are almost always based on even more spatially limited datasets. The ramifications for basin analysis are considerable: (1) actual sediment budgets are underestimated; (2) catchment denudation rates and sizes are miscalculated; (3) predicted net:gross ratios in sink areas bear high uncertainties. This paper outlines a new workflow-defined approach to reconstruct regional grain size profiles to better estimate sediment budgets across an entire sedimentary basin, even when datasets have spatial limited coverage. The workflow includes compilation of grain size data, transformation to mass balance frameworks, and lateral matching of local to regional grain size profiles. The approach was tested on two representative continental-to-marine delta systems which are covered by four spatially limited datasets while the entire sedimentary basin (sink area) is much larger. The original estimates account for only maximum 40% of the actual total sediment volume as analysed with the new approach. The new method provides significantly improved constraints for catchment (source) models as well as input parameters (sediment budget, input locations, fractions) for process-based depositional modelling for predictions of net:gross and detailed facies proximal to distal relationships. General benefits include lower uncertainties in clastic reservoir quality prediction (hydrocarbon exploration) and provenance analysis (fundamental research).

中文翻译：

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源到汇：重建沉积物收支和集水区的区域粒度趋势

源到汇研究和计算古代系统的沉积物预算是流域分析的重要方法。由于盆地规模巨大，大多数现有研究都依赖于地下数据集。由于钻井活动侧重于构造高点或特定圈闭类型，因此井数据集仅涵盖整个沉积盆地的有限子区域。露头研究几乎总是基于空间更有限的数据集。流域分析的影响相当大：（1）实际沉积物预算被低估；(2) 流域剥蚀率和规模计算错误；(3) 汇区预测的净毛比具有很大的不确定性。本文概述了一种新的工作流程定义的方法来重建区域粒度分布，以更好地估计整个沉积盆地的沉积物预算，即使数据集的覆盖范围有限。该工作流程包括粒度数据的编译、质量平衡框架的转换以及局部到区域粒度分布的横向匹配。该方法在两个具有代表性的大陆到海洋三角洲系统上进行了测试，这些三角洲系统被四个空间有限的数据集覆盖，而整个沉积盆地（汇区）要大得多。使用新方法进行分析时，最初的估计仅占实际总沉积物体积的最大 40%。新方法为基于过程的沉积建模提供了显着改进的流域（源）模型约束以及输入参数（沉积物预算、输入位置、分数），用于预测近端关系的净：总和详细相。