黄河的年输沙量约为11×10⁸吨,占世界21条大河入海泥沙总量的17%.黄河约有90%的泥沙来自中游的黄土高原,其年输沙最的70%发生在7～9月.黄河的泥沙输送对渤海和黄海海岸带地貌及沉积作用有广泛和深远的影响.

The Yellow River,with annual sediment discharge about 11×10⁸ tons, contributes about 17% of world’s fluvial sediment discharge to ocean.This is because the river,in its middle reaches,flows across the Great Loess Plateau of China.About 70% of its annual sediment discharge comes in July-September and is concentrated in a few strong"spikes"during floods with very high sediment concentration.The amount of its sediment discharge varies greatly during the last 3,000 years. The sediment discharge of the Yellow River has widespread and profound effect on sedimentation of the sea: (1)Remarkable shift of its outlet in 1128-1855 A.D.to the South Yellow sea where it had formed a large subaqueous delta and provided the substrate for an extensive submarine ridge field. (2)Shift of outlet in the modern delta every 10 years is the main reason why with extremely heavy sediment input and a micro-tidal environment,the Yellow River has not succeeded in building a birdfoot delta like the Mississippi. (3)The Yellow River has consistently brought heavy sediment input to sea at least since 0.7my.B.P.Paleochanneils,paleosoils,cheniers and fossils on the sea bottom indicate that the Yellow sea was exposed during late Quaternary glacial low-sea level and the Yllow River had crossed the continental shelf,discharging its sediment to the Okinawa Trough in about 25,000-15,000 years B.C.