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Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Deltas; sea-level rise; sediment flux; water resource management; siltation; reservoirs
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Future Impacts Of Fresh Water Resource Management: Sensitivity Of Coastal Deltas, Charles J. Vorosmarty, Jason P. Ericson, S Lawrence Dingman, Larry G. Ward
Future Impacts Of Fresh Water Resource Management: Sensitivity Of Coastal Deltas, Charles J. Vorosmarty, Jason P. Ericson, S Lawrence Dingman, Larry G. Ward
Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping
We present an assessment of contemporary and future effective sealevel rise (ESLR) using a sample of 40 deltas distributed worldwide. For any delta, ESLR is a net rate defined by eustatic sea-level rise, natural gross rates of fluvial sediment deposition and subsidence, and accelerated subsidence due to groundwater and hydrocarbon extraction. Present-day ESLR, estimated from geospatial data and a simple model of deltaic dynamics, ranges from 0.5 to 12.5 mm year-1. Reduced accretion of fluvial sediment from upstream siltation of reservoirs and freshwater consumptive irrigation losses are primary determinants of ESLR in nearly 70% of the deltas, while for only …