The study looked at how sediment moves in the Yellow River Estuary. They found that the shape of the river mouth affects how much sediment is carried into the deep sea. When the river mouth sticks out more, more sediment goes into the deep sea. The amount of sediment carried depends on the ratio of sediment to water in the flow. The researchers analyzed data from 1977 to 2000 and found that during this time, a large proportion of sediment was transported into the deep sea.