INFLUENCE OF SEA-LEVEL RISE ON THE MIDDLE AND LOWER REACHES OF THE YANGTZE-RIVER SINCE 12,100 BP

Geological and archaeological surveys confirm that there was intensive headward channel aggradation and water-stage rise in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River after the last glacial maximum (LGM). Deductive analyses show that these changes may have resulted from sea level rise after the LGM. A simulation model is presented, designed to recreate what happened to the river in response to sea level rise. The simulation outputs provide a reasonable explanation pointing to either headward channel aggradation and water-stage rise in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River since 12,100 BP, or to the origin of the lakes located alongside the river.