Linking Source and Sink: Advances in Provenance and Sedimentary Processes of Marine Sediments

Marine sediments serve as crucial archives of Earth's geological history, capturing detailed records of climatic changes, geological activities, and sedimentary processes in the past. The provenance of these sediments and the identification of their origins is essential for understanding the source-to-sink process, which encompasses the journey of sediments from their points of origin through transportation pathways to their final deposition sites. This comprehensive understanding helps scientists trace the movements of sediments across different marine environments, thereby revealing past oceanic conditions, sedimentary dynamics, and environmental transitions. The investigation into the provenance of sediments offers profound insights into sediment dynamics, oceanographic processes, and their responses to both natural variability and anthropogenic impacts.

This research topic aims to explore the latest advances in marine sedimentology, with a particular focus on provenance studies and the transport mechanisms of sediments across diverse marine environments. By unraveling the complex processes and pathways that govern sediment transport from origin to deposition, we can enhance our understanding of past and present oceanographic conditions, which is crucial for predicting future environmental changes and impacts.

We invite researchers to submit original research articles, review papers, and methodological studies that address a range of themes related to the provenance of marine sediments and related topics. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

1. Innovative tracing techniques and methodologies for determining the provenance of marine sediments.
2. Controls on sediment transport processes and sedimentary patterns.
3. Interactions between sediment provenance and regional tectonic, climatic, and sea-level changes.
4. Anthropogenic effects on marine sediment dynamics, including pollution, dredging, and coastal constructions.
5. The role of marine sediments in the global carbon cycle: mechanisms and impacts of carbon sequestration.

We aim to gather insights from diverse disciplines including oceanography, geology, environmental, and climate science, to build a comprehensive understanding of how marine sedimentary processes are shaped by both natural forces and human activity.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Marine sediments, Sediment transport, Provenance, Oceanography, Source-to-sink process

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.