Palynological record during the Pleistocene (between 1.05 Ma and 0.36 Ma) from ODP1144, northern South China Sea

This paper presents the pollen record from the lower section of ODP1144 (depth 501.3-225.7 m, ca. 1.05-0.36 Ma). Two pollen zones (PA and PB) and eleven pollen subzones are recognized. Within zone PB, the 11 pollen subzones (PB21-11) are defined according to the pine, fern and herb variations, and are equivalent to the marine isotope stages 21-11 (MISs 21-11). The interglacial periods are typified by an increase in pine pollen and fern spores, and a decrease in herbaceous pollen, while the patterning during the glacial periods is just the opposite. During the interglacial periods, pollen assemblages were dominated by pine similar to those of the present day, suggesting that the paleoenvironment of the interglacial periods was similar to that of the present day, whereas the glacial periods are marked by an increase in herbaceous pollen, mainly Gramineae and Cyperaceae, indicating that grassland covered the exposed continental shelf when sea level declined. Increased Artemisia percentages and the highest     

Evolution and variation of the Tsushima warm current during the late Quaternary: Evidence from planktonic foraminifera, oxygen and carbon isotopes

The evolution and variation history of the Tsushima warm current during the late Quaternary was reconstructed based on the quantitative census data of planktonic foraminiferal fauna, together with oxygen and carbon isotope records of mixed layer dweller G. ruber and thermocline dweller N. dutertrei in piston core CSH1 and core DGKS9603 collected separately from the Tsushima warm current and the Kuroshio dominated area. The result showed that the Tsushima warm current vanished in the lowstand period during 40―24 cal ka BP, while the Kuroshio still flowed across the Okinawa Trough, arousing strong upwelling in the northern Trough. Meanwhile, the influence of freshwater greatly increased in the northern Okinawa Trough, as the broad East China Sea continental shelf emerged. The freshwater reached its maximum during the last glacial maximum (LGM), when the upwelling obviously weakened for the lowest sea-level and the depression of the Kuroshio. The modern Tsushima warm current began its development since 16 cal ka BP, and the impact of the Kuroshio increased in the middle and north- ern Okinawa Trough synchronously during the deglaciation and gradually evolved as the main water source of the Tsushima current. The modern Tsushima current finally formed at about 8.5 cal ka BP, since then the circulation structure has been relatively stable. The water of the modern Tsushima cur- rent primarily came from the Kuroshio axis. A short-term wiggle of the current occurred at about 3 cal ka BP, probably for the influences from the enhancement of the winter monsoon and the depression of the Kuroshio. The cold water masses greatly strengthened during the wiggle.     

Eco-environmental changes in the Chinese Loess Plateau during low-eccentricity interglacial Marine Isotope Stage 19

Eco-environmental changes during interglacials with an astronomical background similar to that of the Holocene are potentially helpful for understanding the future climatic evolution. Marine oxygen isotope stage(MIS) 19 is similar to the Holocene in astronomical background, both being characterized by a low eccentricity of the Earth's orbit. However, MIS 19 has attracted research attention only recently and therefore less is known about eco-environmental changes during this interval,especially based on terrestrial records. In the Chinese Loess Plateau(CLP), the S7 paleosol can provide valuable terrestrial paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental record for MIS 19. Here, high-resolution terrestrial snail records from the L8–L7 strata of the Huining, Xifeng and Luochuan sequences in the CLP were analyzed in order to characterize spatio-temporal changes in climate and eco-environment during MIS 20–18. The results show that in all three sections the late part of MIS 20 was dominated by abundant cold-aridiphilous mollusc species, indicating that cold and dry climatic conditions prevailed across the entire CLP,under the strong influence of the winter monsoon. The mollusc fauna of MIS 19 were dominated by warmth-loving and thermohumidiphilous species that enable the definition of two climatic stages. The early part of MIS 19(～790–778 ka) was marked by warm and humid conditions, as evidenced by high abundances of warmth-loving and thermo-humidiphilous species. This interval was slightly warmer than today and it lasted for ～12 kyr. The climate of the later part of MIS 19(～778–761 ka) was more moderate, and increased proportions of cold-aridiphilous and warmth-loving species were recorded. The warmth of this period was similar to that of today, but the climatic fluctuations were stronger. During the early part of MIS 18(～761–745 ka), the Xifeng and Luochuan sections in the eastern CLP still maintained high abundances of warmth-loving and thermo-humidiphilous species, indicating that the moderate climatic conditions during late MIS 19 continued during early MIS 18, lasting for another～15 kyr, and that the influence of the summer monsoon remained strong in the eastern CLP during early MIS 18. However, in the western CLP, cold-aridiphilous species in the Huining section became dominant during early MIS 18, reflecting the prevalence of a cold and dry glacial climate, with the strong influence of the winter monsoon. These findings indicate that a steeper climatic gradient and a pronounced regional environmental difference existed between the eastern and western CLP during the early part of MIS 18. Comparison of our mollusc results with the variation of Earth orbital parameters suggested that climate changes in the CLP during MIS 20–18 were likely controlled mainly by insolation changes forced by the configuration of Earth orbital parameters. The unique orbital configuration during the low eccentricity interglacial-to-glacial transition could have strengthened the East Asian summer monsoon which favored the amelioration of the eco-environment in the CLP, especially in the eastern CLP where the summer monsoon exerted a strong influence. Thus we speculate that, under natural climatic conditions,the climate of the CLP may remain in a warm, humid state for another 30 kyr, although climatic instability and the seasonal differences between winter and summer could strengthen.     

Clay minerals in the late Quaternary sediment of Tulare Lake,California: Implications for climate change,weathering, and erosion processes

The clay mineralogy of Tulare Lake sediment was examined to investigate hydroclimatic and environmental changes in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains (SNM) since the most recent glacial maximum. Evolution of clay mineral assemblages elucidates significant changes in weathering, erosion, and hydroclimatic condition in the catchment. During the last glacial period (24.4–15.1 cal ka BP), low illite content implies less physical erosion of the granitic batholith rocks and a cold and arid environment in the southern SNM. Abrupt increases of illite content at 21.8–20.8 and 17.6 cal ka BP resulted from the glacier advances to the ablation zone and illite-rich glacier flour was transported down to the lake. The gradual increase of smectite induced by progressive depletion of illite-rich glacier flour from 17.6 cal ka BP toward the end of this period indicates climate was beginning to get warm and wet. From 11.9 to 5.3 cal ka BP, two warm and wet periods (10.7–9.4 and 8.2–5.2 cal ka BP) were characterized by high smectite/illite content ratios and low illite crystallinity values, suggesting intensive rainfall precipitation and more physical erosion in the highland and lowland catchment as well as more smectite formation in the terrace soils. Since the last glacial period, physical erosion, in comparison to the chemical weathering, was the dominant process responding to the hydroclimatic change in the Tulare Lake catchment. Moderate to weak chemical weathering was signified by the mostly low illite chemical weathering index of the core sediments. Such results suggest that vegetation cover in the southern SNM was low and limited.     

Bedrock control on the Assu Incised Valley morphology and sedimentation in the Brazilian Equatorial Shelf

The Assu Incised Valley(AIV) is a new example of an incised-valley system located on the Brazilian Equatorial continental shelf.This valley extends over 40 km from the present-day shoreline to the shelf break,in a passive margin setting,on a shallow(~70 m),narrow(43 km) and flat(?1) shelf,with mixed carbonate-siliciclastic sedimentation and a low terrigenous sediment supply.To investigate the morphology of the incised valley and the surrounding shelf area,we analyzed LandSat images and bathymetric,shallow seismic and sedimentological data.The results indicate that the AIV is a coastal-plain incised valley.The incision was mainly forced by the magnitude of the last fall in sea level,which created the specific geometry of valley,atypically widening landward due to lithological and structural control.The AIV is a broad N-S-trending valley with a negative relief of approximately 12 m below the mean shelf topography and low-angle valley walls(~3°),surrounded by a highly planar shelf.The valley is asymmetric in cross-section and subdivided into three segments along the shelf:the landward segment is wide(up to 8 km),shallow( 9 m deep),and 25 km long;the middle segment is narrow(2 km wide),only slightly deeper than the inner segment( 15 m deep) and 10 km long;the outer segment is very narrow( 1 km),has incised relief up to 30 m deep and is 8 km long.The incised valley changes near the shelf break abruptly to a deeper(300 m) and wider submarine canyon(3 km).The three valleysegments are bounded by transfer faults of W-E orientation.In addition,the accommodation-space response to the last deglacial sea-level rise provided a 30 m thick sedimentary fill above a Pleistocene/Holocene regional unconformity and a morphologically controlled stratigraphic organization.The antecedent valley topography controls the sedimentation and hydrodynamics of the modern shelf.Furthermore,the morphology of the AIV is a key example of the control of the bedrock on valley incision and infill response to the last fall and rise in sea level on narrow,shallow and low-gradient shelves.     

Comparison of climatic threshold of geographical distribution between dominant plants and surface pollen in China

The geographical distribution of dominant plant species in China was georeferenced and climatic variables were interpolated into all grids.Accordingly,the percentage distributions of principal pollen taxa based on 1860 surface pollen sites in China were selected and the related climate values were interpolated with the same method. The geographical and climatic comparison between the two data-sets indicated that the climate threshold of most pollen taxa from surface pollen is coherent with plant distributions. The climatic envelopes of dominant plant are mostly accordant with those of pollen taxa at certain levels. However, some distinct offsets of the climate ranges exist between the two datasets for most pollen taxa identified at family level, such as Ericaceae,Asteraceae, Poaceae and Chenopodiaceae. The present study provides for the first time rich information on temperature and precipitation in relation to pollen and plant distribution based on the datasets on a continental scale useful for global ecological modeling and Quaternary palaeoclimate reconstruction.     

Glacial advances and ESR chronology of the Pochengzi Glaciation,Tianshan Mountains,China

The Pochengzi Glaciation is a typical glaciation in Quaternary in the Tianshan Mountains. The glacial landforms comprise several integrated end moraines, like a fan spreading from the north to the south at the mouth of the Muzhaerte River valley and on the piedmont on the southeastern slope of the Tumur Peak, the largest center of modern glaciation in the Tianshan Mountains. The landforms recorded a complex history of the ancient glacier change and contained considerable information of the glacial landscape evolution, and dating these landforms helps us understand the temporal and spatial shifts of the past cryosphere in this valley and reconstruct the paleoenvironment in this region. Electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of the glacial tills in the upper stratum from a well-exposed section, end moraines, and associated outwashes was carried out using Ge centers in quartz grains, which are sensitive to the sunlight and grinding. The results could be divided into three clusters, 13.6–25.3, 39.5–40.4 and 64.2–71.7 ka. Based on the principle of geomorphology and stratigraphy and the available paleoen- vironmental data from northwestern China, the end moraines were determined to deposit in the Last Glaciation. The landforms and the three clusters of ages demonstrate that at least three large glacial advances occurred during the Pochengzi Glaciation, which are corresponding to marine oxygen isotope stage 4 (MIS4), MIS3b and MIS2. The landforms also indicate that the gla- ciers were compound valley glacier in MIS2 and MIS3b and piedmont glacier in MIS4, and the ancient Muzhaerte glacier were 94, 95 and 99 km at their maximum extensions in these three glacial advances.     

Solar forcing of desert vegetation and drought frequency during the last 2700 years in the interior Qaidam Basin,northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Knowledge of long-term change in vegetation and climate in semi-arid/arid regions is essential for the study of current climate and development of mitigation strategies against severe drought. Here, a fossil pollen record of annually-varved core from Sugan Lake in interior Qaidam Basin was quantitatively analyzed to reconstruct changes in vegetation, floristic diversity and drought frequency. Results of biomization suggested that regional vegetation was desert vegetation with three short-term occupations of temperate steppe/xerophytic shrub during the last 2700 years. Floristic diversity generally increased/decreased with the expansion/degradation of desert vegetation. Moisture fluctuations showed three distinct stages(extremely dry between 742 BC and ~AD500, relatively wet with an increasing trend between ~AD500 and 1200 and relatively wet with frequent fluctuations after AD1200), interrupted by 14 drought events. Spectral analysis and continuous wavelet transform of moisture variation revealed 200-and 120-year cycles. According to cross-wavelet transform analysis, major drought frequency of ~200-year was explicitly correlated to solar activity. It's suggested that the centennial-scale drought frequency was mainly driven by solar activity, through modulation of large-scale atmospheric circulation. Furthermore, the effect of surface temperature–evaporation and uplifting/subsiding air flow should be notable. The climatic drought in interior Qaidam Basin could be intensified under the continuous global warming.     

Palaeo-sea-ice changes on the North Icelandic shelf during the last millennium:Evidence from diatom records

A high resolution record of sea-ice concentration on the North Icelandic shelf during the last millennium has been reconstructed using a diatom-based sea-ice transfer function. The reconstructed sea-ice record for the top of sediment core MD99–2275 exhibits a slightly increasing trend over the last 1000 years. Prior to AD 1300 sea-ice abundance was generally below the mean value, suggesting the strong influence of warm waters from the Irminger Current during the Medieval Warm Period. A marked increase of sea-ice concentration indicates an abrupt change to colder conditions after AD 1300, corresponding to the onset of the Little Ice Age. The agreement between the reconstructed sea-ice concentration and IP25 data obtained from the same core, as well as with historical records of Icelandic sea ice, suggests that diatoms may provide a valuable tool for future quantitative reconstructions of past sea-ice variability. In addition, agreement between changes in the reconstructed sea-ice record and variations in the abundance of the major diatom components indicates that sea-ice conditions on the North Icelandic shelf are generally strongly influenced by changes in the strength of two different water masses, the cold Polar water periodically derived from the East Greenland Current and the warm Irminger Current derived from the North Atlantic Current. Our proxy evidence also indicates that variations in solar activity have a considerable impact on ocean dynamics, which in turn affects sea-ice abundance.     

Holocene peatland development and vegetation changes in the Zoige Basin,eastern Tibetan Plateau

Peat sediments and peatland evolution process offer abundant clues into the history of vegetation and climate changes.In order to reconstruct Holocene peatland, vegetation and climate changes on eastern Tibetan Plateau, we conducted analyses of fossil pollen, loss-on-ignition, and carbon accumulation rate on one peat core from Zoige Basin. Our results show local peatland initiated at 10.3 ka, thrived in the early-mid Holocene, and then began to degrade. Throughout the Holocene, Zoige Basin was dominated by alpine meadow. Coniferous forest on montane regions expanded for several times during 10.5–4.6ka, and then dramatically retreated. Results of peatland property, principal component analysis on fossil pollen suggested the climate maintained warm/wet during 10–5.5 ka, and became relatively cold/dry in the late Holocene. Rapid degradation of peatland, retreat of coniferous forest and climatic drought/cooling occurred at 10.2–10, 9.7–9.5, 8.7–8.5, 7.7–7.4, 6.4–6, 5.5–5.2,4.8–4.5, 4–3.6, 3.1–2.7, 1.4–1.2 and 0.8–0.6 ka. The long-term variations of Holocene climate and vegetation on eastern Tibetan Plateau could be attributed to changes in insolation-driven temperature and Asian Summer Monsoon intensity, while those rapid centennial changes were probably triggered by abrupt monsoon failures and temperature anomalies in the high northern latitudes.     

Pollen record of the last 280 ka from deep sea sediments of the northern South China Sea

Environmental history of the northern continental shelf of the South China Sea during the last 280 ka BP, e.g. Marine Isotope Stages 1–8 (MIS 1–8) was reconstructed based on pollen record from the top 225m of ODP 1144 Site. During the interglacial periods, pollen assemblages are predominated by pine similar to those of the present day indicating that the environment of the interglacial periods was more or less close to that of today. Nevertheless, those from glacial periods are characterized by a large amount of herbaceous pollen, e.g.Artemisia, Gramineae, Cyperaceae, etc. inferring that grassland covered the merged continental shelf when the sea level lowered and the continental shelf was exposed. The exposed areas of the shelf were insignificant before MIS 5, but enlarged since MIS 4 and reached its maximum during MIS 2 according to ratios of pollen percentages between pine and herbs. The history of different exposure of the shelf can be compared with transgression records of the coastal areas of China and might result from neotectonic movement of Chinese continent. Some changes also took place in the components of grassland growing on the shelf during glaciations. Gramineae is the main element at MIS 8. ThenArtemisia increased upwards the profile and at last became the main component at the Last Glacial Maximum (MIS 2). Such changes in vegetation might be in response to cooler and drier climate.     

10Be dating of boulders on moraines from the last glacial period in the Nyainqentanglha mountains,Tibet

Chronologies of glacial advances during the last glacial period in the Nyainqentanglha mountain range may provide constraints on the past climate in a transition zone of the Asian monsoon.We present 15 new10Be exposure ages from two moraines in the Payuwang valley,on the north slope of the range.The inner moraine has exposure ages ranging from 18.0±1.7 to 30.6±2.8 ka(n=10),with a mean age of 23.8±4.0 ka,corresponding to the global Last Glacial Maximum(LGM).The outer moraine yields exposure ages ranging from 18.0±1.6 to 39.9±3.7 ka(n=5).Evidence for weathering leads us to view the oldest age as a minimum age,placing moraine formation during MIS3.Chronologies from the last glacial period from south slope of the Nyainqentanglha support this interpretation.Thus,there appears to have been a local LGM(LLGM)during MIS3 and a more limited glacial advance during the global LGM.Glacial advances during MIS3 in the Nyainqentanglha may correlate with millennial-scale climate change(Heinrich events).     

Evidence for natural fire and climate history since 37 ka BP in the northern part of the South China Sea

The history of natural fire since 37 kaBP and its relationship to climate for the northern part of the South China Sea are revealed from the statistic study of charcoal particles and associated pollen data from deep sea core 17940 (20° 07’N, 117° 23’E, 1 727 m in water depth). Our study indicates that, during the last glaciation, the concentration of charcoal and the ratio of con centration between charcoal and terrestrial pollen are much higher than that of the Holocene. This can be explained as the relatively high strength and frequency of natural fire during glaciation which is probably due to the drier climate; during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the substantial rising of the concentration of large and medium charcoal particles probably suggests the local source area of the natural fires, i.e. the exposed continental shelf; moreover, the correlation between charcoal concentration with different size and pollen percentage may elucidate different transport dynamics. During the glacial time, almost all the peak concentrations of small particles correspond with the peak pollen percentage ofArtemisia, an indicator of comparatively dry climate, while for large particles, their concentrations always lag behind small particles and thus change with pollen percentage of montane conifers implying relatively cold and humid climate. So, it is possible to assume that small particles reflect regional emissions under drier climate and were brought over by strengthened winter monsoon. When the climate became relatively humid, the increasing precipitation carried the large particles accumulated on continental shelf before under arid condition to the studied area.     

应用重力资源估算东海冲绳海槽地壳厚度

利用东海地区的重力资源，并参考在该地区进行的地震测深结果，应用线性公式估算了研究区的地壳厚度，分析了研究区地壳结构特征，根据与中国东部地球物理场、地壳结构的对比，指出东海大陆架地区应是中国大陆的自然延伸，对冲绳海槽的地壳性质进行了探讨，指出冲绳海槽应该为东海大陆架的自然终结。     

OSL and radiocarbon dating of a core from the Bohai Sea in China and implication for Late Quaternary transgression pattern

The Bohai Sea is a semi-enclosed continental shelf sea in northern China. Three transgression layers have been identified from the Late Quaternary strata in the western Bohai Sea and the coastal regions, which provide critical information on Late Quaternary sea-level fluctuations and landscape development. The three transgression layers were previously assigned to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 1 (transgression 1, T1), MIS 3 (T2) and MIS 5 (T3), respectively, mainly based on ¹⁴C dating. However, this chronological framework aroused an enigma that the regional sea level in MIS 3 was even higher than that of MIS 5, conflicting with the context of global sea-level pattern. In order to clarify this issue, here quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating (four samples) was used to constrain the T2 chronology of borehole TJC-1 from the western Bohai Sea. Radiocarbon samples (eight) of peaty sediments were also measured for reference and comparison. All the four OSL samples showed saturation ages of >80 ka, suggesting that the T2 layer should have formed at least in MIS 5, instead of in MIS 3. Radiocarbon ages in T2 should have been severely underestimated, with a saturation age range of 22–30 cal ka BP, similar to all the previous published radiocarbon ages. The renewed OSL chronological framework for Late Quaternary transgressions in the western Bohai Sea is in better compliance with the history of global sea-level change.     

Records of natural fire and climate history during the last three glacial-interglacial cycles around the South China Sea Charcoal record from the ODP 1144

The history of natural fire and its relationship to climate during the last three glacial-interglacial cycles in the Southern coast areas of China and the northern continental shelf of the South China Sea (SCS) are discussed based on the statistic study of charcoal particles and associated pollen data from ODP 1144 Site (20° 3′N, 117° 25’E, 2037 m in water depth). According to the results of the charcoal and pollen study, the sediments from the upper 225 m are divided into 8 zones (C1–C8), which might be correlated with the Marine Isotope Stage 1–8 (MIS1-8) respectively. Our study indicates that during the last glacial period (MIS2, 4), the influx of charcoal particle was much higher than that from the interglacial period, suggesting strong occurrence of natural fire and dry climate. During MIS 6 and MIS 8 (C6, C8), although the influx of fine charcoal particles was quite high, the influx of the coarse and medium charcoal particle were much low, which might be due to the smaller source area of fire probably resulting from the limited exposure of the continental shelf before MIS5. During the interglacial period (MIS1, 5, 7), the influxes of charcoal particles were much lower, implying dropping of intensity of the natural fire and then a humid climate. Another reason is that the continental shelf was submerged into the sea during the interglacial periods, and the source areas of fire were reduced then. Although the influx of the fine charcoal particles was much lower during MIS3, the influx of the coarse and medium charcoal particles were almost equal to those of MIS4 (C4), which suggests that the intensity of the natural fire remained quite high and the climate was considerably dry during that period.     

海啸在冲绳海槽和东海浅水大陆架地形上产生和传播的数值模拟

运用数值模拟的方法对在冲绳海槽产生9.0级地震,并引发海啸的过程和海啸波在东海浅水大陆架地形上的传播过程进行研究.模拟的结果表明,数值模拟产生的波浪符合海啸波的特点,东海浅水大陆架适合海啸波的传播.     

Aminostratigraphy and thermoluminescence dating of coastal aeolianites and the later Quaternary history of a failed delta: The River Murray mouth region,South Australia

A geochronological framework for the sequential development of coastal barrier aeolianite complexes in the mouth region of the River Murray, Australia's largest river system is presented based on amino acid racemization and thermoluminescence dating. The sedimentary successions represent a foreshortened and condensed sequence of coastal barriers compared with those of the Coorong Coastal Plain in southern South Australia where the barrier complexes are more widely separated in response to tectonic uplift. The barriers have formed during interglacial sea-level highstands and are correlatives of genetically equivalent landforms of the Coorong Coastal Plain. Thermoluminescence dating and the extent of amino acid racemization in aeolianite ‘whole-rock’ sediment samples, reveal a general increase in age of the barriers landwards from the modern coastline. In detail, however, the individual barriers represent composite structures having formed in more than one interglaciation, due to the reoccupation of Pleistocene shoreline positions during sea-level highstands of similar amplitude, in a zone of gradual basin subsidence. The most seaward Pleistocene aeolianite at Surfer Beach is of interstadial age (Marine Isotope Stage 5c, 105 ± 5 ka; MIS 5c), and correlates with the Robe Range of the Coorong Coastal Plain. The last interglacial shoreline (130 ± 15 ka; MIS 5e) is particularly well-defined in the River Murray mouth region. It is represented by a complex association of coastal parabolic dunes superimposed on a transverse dune system, which runs parallel with the former coastline, and also includes associated estuarine, lagoonal and open ocean beach facies. Landward of the last interglacial succession are distinct barriers relating to the penultimate interglaciation (215 ± 35 ka; MIS 7), as well as earlier interglaciations (350 ± 65 ka; MIS 9 or 11 and 470 ± 70 ka; MIS 11 or 13). The coastal barriers have been successively breached by the ancestral River Murray at times of lower sea level during glacial cycles. Former mouths of the River Murray during interglacial sea-level highstands are likely to have existed near Tauwitchere Island during MIS 7, and between Goolwa and Hindmarsh Island and near the southern-most part of Lake Albert during the last interglacial (MIS 5e). The River Murray mouth region represents a failed delta as the limited sediment brought to this area since late middle Pleistocene time has been either rapidly incorporated within aeolian deposits during sea-level highstands, or transported to the edge of the Lacepede Shelf during glacial maxima. The Holocene and modern River Murray has not established a marine delta, but deposits its load in the settling basins of the terminal lakes. Only a small digitate delta has formed where the river enters Lake Alexandrina.