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Fluvial Sediment Discharge to the Sea and the Importance of Regional Tectonics

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Tectonic Uplift and Climate Change

Abstract

In recent years erosion and sediment discharge to the oceans have become topics of increasing interest among a wide diversity of scientists. Not only can a quantitative understanding of erosion and discharge help us delineate the various processes controlling the erosion, transport, and deposition of fluvially derived materials, but it also can have important implications for environmental management. The discussion in this paper shows that tectonic character (and associated factors) and the area of the drainage basin play the major roles in determining the sediment (both suspended and dissolved) discharge from rivers, but that climate, geology, and human factors also have marked impacts.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

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

    John D. Milliman

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  1. John D. Milliman
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

    William F. Ruddiman

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© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Milliman, J.D. (1997). Fluvial Sediment Discharge to the Sea and the Importance of Regional Tectonics. In: Ruddiman, W.F. (eds) Tectonic Uplift and Climate Change. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5935-1_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5935-1_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-7719-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-5935-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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