Useful for Mr McGuinness' Rivers & Flooding Year 12 Topic

Disaster for Deltas

Sea-level rise and river engineering "spell disaster" for many of the world's river deltas, say scientists.

Half a billion people live in deltas, but the newly published research suggests many of these areas are set to be inundated by rising seas.

Some of the lowest lying, including the Mekong and Mississippi, are particularly vulnerable.

The paper is published in the journal Nature.

Lead researcher Dr Liviu Giosan, from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, said dams and other river engineering had exacerbated the problem by reducing the amount of sediment rivers could carry.

In an article he said was "a call to action before it's too late", Dr Giosan said rivers were losing the fight between land and sea.

 Deltas are home to some of world's sprawling megacities, including Shanghai

 Deltas such as that of the Irrawaddy River represent a fight between the land and the sea, with rivers depositing sediment and the sea washing it away

Lower lying deltas, including the Mississippi, could be worst affected by rising sea levels

Tasks:

1) What type of delta is each of the deltas above?

2) Investigate why half a billion people settle near/on deltas.

3) Examine the impacts of rising sea levels on the world's major deltas.

4) What responses could reduce the risk of flooding?