Dear authors,

There has as been a solid and serious discussion about your paper, including about the validity and interpretation of the data. I recommend that you submit a duly revised paper that pays full attention to the observations made by the reviewers.
I attach a final comment that referee#3 made in reply to your AC4. Please pay due attention to this reaction in your revision.
Also provide in an accompanying letter clearly how you have addressed all these comments. I shall then again ask the reviewers to reflect on your revisions before I take a final decision.

Sincerely,
Hubert Savenije

Dear Authors,

This has been a much debated paper, which in the process has gained much stronger underpinning. Referee#3, who clearly is very knowledgeable about the situation in the Changjiang estuary, has clearly helped a lot to enhance the quality of the paper. I very much appreciated the rigor of the replies and the consistent dedication of the referees and authors.

I have studied the interaction between the referees and authors in detail and I have decided that more interaction is not required. I think the paper is solid and well founded as it is now.

I congratulate the authors and thank the referees for their meticulous work.

Sincerely,
Hubert Savenije