Sediment delivery to sustain the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta under climate change and anthropogenic impacts.

ABSTRACT: The principal nature-based solution for offsetting relative sea-level rise in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta is the unabated delivery, dispersal, and deposition of the rivers' ~1 billion-tonne annual sediment load. Recent hydrological transport modeling suggests that strengthening monsoon precipitation in the 21st century could increase this sediment delivery 34-60%; yet other studies demonstrate that sediment could decline 15-80% if planned dams and river diversions are fully implemented. We validate these modeled ranges by developing a comprehensive field-based sediment budget that quantifies the supply of Ganges-Brahmaputra river sediment under varying Holocene climate conditions. Our data reveal natural responses in sediment supply comparable to previously modeled results and suggest tha

SUBMITTER: Raff JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10140268 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature