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Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Subsidence pp 63–85Cite as

River-Sediment Inputs to Major Deltas

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Part of the book series: Coastal Systems and Continental Margins ((CSCM,volume 2))

Abstract

River sediments are distributed unevenly in space and time, and they are markedly susceptible to human influences. Half the world’s river sediment is derived from the Himalayan region and its environs. Most of the remainder is derived from other tectonically active regions such as the western Pacific islands, the Andes, and southern Alaska. River-sediment loads are variable at many time scales: seasonal, annual, decadal, and longer. The storage of sediment in river systems confounds our ability to predict the delivery of sediment to coastal zones. Natural river-sediment loads are increased by deforestation and crop farming, and decreased by dams and reservoirs.

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  1. Robert H. Meade
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, 23062, Gloucester Point, Virginia, USA

    John D. Milliman

  2. 20816, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Bilal U. Haq

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Meade, R.H. (1996). River-Sediment Inputs to Major Deltas. In: Milliman, J.D., Haq, B.U. (eds) Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Subsidence. Coastal Systems and Continental Margins, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8719-8_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8719-8_4

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