The researchers studied how sediment transport in sand ridges along the Jiangsu Coast in China has changed over the past 30 years. They found that the amount of suspended sediment in the water decreased from 1980 to 2010. This decrease was mainly due to less sediment coming from the Old Yellow River Delta and large-scale land reclamation along the coast. The sediment flow from the Yangtze River also decreased during this time. The researchers used field data and computer models to show that sediment transport patterns in 1980 and 2010 were similar, but overall sediment levels were higher in 1980.