A natural experiment reveals the impact of hydroelectric dams on the estuaries of tropical rivers.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ezcurra E
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6415951 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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A natural experiment reveals the impact of hydroelectric dams on the estuaries of tropical rivers.
Ezcurra E E Barrios E E Ezcurra P P Ezcurra A A Vanderplank S S Vidal O O Villanueva-Almanza L L Aburto-Oropeza O O
Science advances 20190313 3
We tested how sediment trapping by hydroelectric dams affects tropical estuaries by comparing two dammed and two undammed rivers on Mexico's Pacific coast. We found that dams demonstrably affected the stability and productivity of the estuaries. The two rivers dammed for hydroelectricity had a rapid coastal recession (between 7.9 and 21.5 ha year<sup>-1</sup>) in what should otherwise be an accretional coastline. The economic consequences of this dam-induced coastal erosion include loss of habit ...[more]
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