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Andrew Moody, author of a memoir on the Mississippi River Delta and postdoctoral fellow. Credits: University of Texas at Austin
Hundreds of millions of people live in the world’s deltas and are at the heart of the rich cultural diversity and prosperous economy. Given the deteriorating environmental conditions and ongoing climate change in the delta, governments have looked for more drastic measures to prevent flooding and protect society and its infrastructure. However, these policies can damage the natural environment and lead to the loss of valuable land. The balance between limiting land loss in the delta and maximizing cultural and economic benefits for society is a top priority for sustainability policy.
Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and Texas Tech University have developed a new analytical tool designed to protect millions of people in the city. delta While maintaining the ecological and commercial viability of these landscapes. Their research was recently approved by the National Academy of Sciences Applying the Cost-Benefit Model to the Delta Concept We did it for the first time by exploring ways to balance the natural functions of the Delta with the protocol social desire for landscape stability.
“By limiting the river waterway in the delta, we have limited the amount of sediment to the coastline required to sustain the land in the face of rising sea levels,” said the lead author and a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow who works as associate Professor. says Andrew Moody. Paola Passalacqua’s laboratory in the Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering Department at the Cockrell Institute of Technology said, “Ironically, it worsens land loss by protecting the river from natural flooding and makes society better in the long run. Sensitive. To a catastrophic flood. “
In their paper, the researchers say that levees and other flood control measures are often placed near the coast to reduce costs and minimize their impact on the high population density. Specified. However, these downstream locations limit the natural function of delta farming, which requires sediment to reach the coast.
Moodie’s work is a nature-based study that uses recent scientific advances from China’s two populous deltas, the Yellow River and the Mississippi, to mimic the natural behavior of the river to prevent land loss. We are investigating the solution. They analyzed the best places to divert waterways, a designed structure that creates new paths for rivers. In order to find the right placement, the advantages of the diversion from the point of view of the property construction had to be weighed against the costs of the structure. There is no exhaustive answer because the relationship between costs and benefits differs from delta to delta. However, this framework can be applied to various systems around the world.
Analysis has shown that in order to maximize the effectiveness of diversions, structures must be placed in front of existing structures and structures, which are often near the coast, away from densely populated areas. .. The downside to building an upstream diversion is that it usually costs more and is more likely to drive people away.
“Many studies suggest that societies, especially large cities like New Orleans, are meant to be, and engineering efforts that use nature-based solutions cannot coexist with large populations,” Moody said. Says. “The optimizable framework has shown that nearby cities make it even easier to justify these major community protection projects.”
Moody began this work as part of his doctorate. Currently at Rice University. His paper examined the effects of river channel desquamation on the delta. This is the process by which a waterway suddenly leaves its path and supports a new path to the sea.
“Peeling is very similar to the transformation people in the delta want to undertake to nourish the landscape,” says Moody.
Focusing on the Yellow River Delta in China, Moody recognized open questions. There is a lack of research linking geomorphology and hydrology to economics.
“We humans want stability. Every year we want a reliable and stable landscape that provides ecosystem services such as fishing and oyster farming, ”says Moody. .. “All of these are affected by natural peeling. The effective use of this behavior can shake the scale and increase the likelihood of preserving the Delta and the people and cultures that exist there. . ”
Studies show that the world’s delta is increasingly shaped by humans
For more informations:
Andrew J. Moodie et al., An optimized river transformation scenario promotes the sustainability of an urbanized delta. Protocols of the National Academy of Sciences (2021). DOI: 10.1073 / pnas.2101649118
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University of Texas at Austin
Quote: The delicate balance to protect the delta and society (July 14, 2021) has been acquired from https://phys.org/news/2021-07-delicate-river-deltas-society.html July 14, 2021.
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