A global synthesis of the effectiveness of sedimentation-enhancing strategies for river deltas and estuaries
Cox, Jana R.; Paauw, Mandy; Nienhuis, Jaap H.; Dunn, Frances E.; van der Deijl, Eveline; Esposito, Christopher; Goichot, Marc; Leuven, Jasper R.F.W.; van Maren, Dirk S.; Middelkoop, Hans; Naffaa, Safaa; Rahman, Munsur; Schwarz, Christian; Sieben, Eline; Triyanti, Annisa; Yuill, Brendan
(2022) Global and Planetary Change, volume 214, pp. 1 - 18
(Article)
Abstract
Deltas worldwide are at risk of elevation loss and drowning due to relative sea-level rise. Management strategies to restore or enhance sedimentation on delta plains, Sedimentation-Enhancing Strategies (hereafter SES), are now being pursued in many deltas but there has been limited cross-disciplinary and cross-delta review. Here we compare 21 existing
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and planned SES, synthesizing their physical characteristics, funding, governance arrangements, stakeholder engagement, process of implementation, environmental impact, land use change, and potential for upscaling. Strategies exist at various scales, from ~0.05 km2 - 500 km2. 79% of strategies are capable of outpacing high rates of sea-level rise. Cheaper strategies are limited to short term impacts and small spatial scales, while more expensive strategies can have longer lifetimes. Most strategies create wetlands and flood water storage. Some create opportunities for agriculture, aquaculture, housing, or recreational land use. Combinations of SES will likely be the most effective and sustainable method for maintaining elevation in river deltas.
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Keywords: Delta sustainability, Land gain, River delta management, River deltas, Sea-level rise, Sedimentation, Global and Planetary Change, Oceanography
ISSN: 0921-8181
Publisher: Elsevier
Note: Funding Information: Agencies involved in planning and implementation of SES vary ( Table 1 ). Sometimes it is a top-down decision where a national government decides to target delta sedimentation and employ research institutes or private consultancies to design and test solutions (e.g., Canal del Dique, CDD ( Sokolewicz et al., 2016 )). In other cases (e.g., Beel Bhaina, GBB) residents implemented an SES, which was then later acknowledged and extended by the national government. In the Danube and Wulan deltas (GBP, GBP, WPS), NGOs coordinated and funded the SES with the support of local research institutes. Kooragang Island (HKI) and the Jiuduansha wetlands (YJW) projects are exceptions, as they were organised and developed by a local university (in collaboration with local authorities). Often projects are also supplemented with EU (Rhine-Meuse: RNW, RZK) or World Bank funding (Danube: DBP, DCP) and in some cases (Kooragang Island: HKI) funding from private organisations. Funding Information: The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Water, Climate and Future Delta hub at Utrecht University . Fig. 2 was designed by the Cartographic Design department at the Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University. Ideas and collaborations that led to this study were conceived at the delta sedimentation workshop: https://www.uu.nl/en/research/department-of-physical-geography/sedimentation-enhancing-strategies-an-interdisciplinary-perspective . Participation of Cox was supported by Rivers2Morrow project (2018-2023) as financed by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management Participation of Esposito and Yuill was supported by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine under Grant Agreement number 2000008941. This study was supported by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research Grant VI.Veni.192.123 of Nienhuis. Internal reports cited are available upon request. All data reviewed in this study is available in Table 1 . Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors
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