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The turbidity maximum zone (TMZ), a water–sediment phenomenon in estuaries, strongly influences ecosystems and engineering; however, its long-term dynamics remain poorly characterised worldwide. We developed a TMZ extraction algorithm (85.8% accuracy) and applied it to Landsat imagery (1984–2020) to assess changes across 276 estuaries globally and explore drivers. The global median TMZ distance was 8.6 km, with the highest distance in Asia (13.0 km) and the lowest in Europe (5.9 km). Clear seasonal cycles emerged, with peaks from January to March in the Northern Hemisphere and from July to December in the Southern Hemisphere. Over the study period, the TMZ distance increased in 115 estuaries but declined in 161, with Europe showing the greatest decrease (78.3%) and Oceania the largest proportion of increase (59.3%). In more than 90% of estuaries, suspended sediment concentration and salinity dominated TMZ variability. However, only 53.0% of long-term TMZ and shoreline change trends were consistent (e.g. TMZ declined with shoreline erosion), and mismatches were largely linked to human disturbances. Our study fills a knowledge gap in global investigations of estuarine TMZ dynamics, offering insights for sediment management and sustainable coastal development.

Long-term variations of global river turbidity maximum zone: patterns and drivers