Summary
Contents
Subject index
This unique addition to reference literature provides an introduction to the major concepts and contemporary issues that are essential for students of environmental science and environmental studies to know. With over 200 entries authored by world-class names like Anthony Brazel, John Day and Edward Keller, this text is divided into six sections: Environmental Science, Environments, Paradigms & Concepts, Processes & Dynamics, Scales & Techniques, and Environmental Issues.
Deltas
Deltas
Deltas are coastal landforms formed by the deposition of sediments generally in shallow waters of the inner continental shelf. After a deltaic landmass becomes subaerial, vegetative growth becomes important in the formation of deltaic soils. The input of materials to deltas is not constant over time, but occurs in pulses that vary spatially and temporally. These pulsing events are arranged in a hierarchical manner and produce benefits over different time and spatial scales. They range from daily tides, weekly winter frontal passages, annual river floods, strong storms such as hurricanes, great river floods, and formation of new delta lobes each 500 to 1000 years. Major deltas are listed in Table 12.
| Table 12 Major world deltas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Delta | Receiving Sea | Area(Km2 × 103) |
| Amazon | Atlantic Ocean | 467 |
| Ganges | Bay of Bengal | 106 |
| Mekong | South China Sea | 94 |
| Yangtze | East China ... | |
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