A global synthesis of the effectiveness of sedimentation-enhancing strategies for river deltas and estuaries

Cox, Jana; Paauw, Mandy; Nienhuis, Jaap H.; Dunn, Frances; Deijl, Eveline van der; Esposito, C. R.; Goichot, Marc; Leuven, Jasper R. F. W.; Maren, D.S. van; Middelkoop, H.; Naffaa, Safaa; Rahman, Md. Mostafizur; Schwarz, Christian; Sieben, Eline; Triyanti, Annisa; Yuill, Brendan

doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2022.103796

Cited by 23 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 103 publications

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“…Further, small scale features such as preferential flow paths can contribute to SRE and to long term wetland sustainability (e.g., Salter & Lamb, 2022). This makes vegetation driven connectivity and spatial heterogeneity an attractive target for organized optimization efforts that attempt to influence SRE (Cox et al., 2022, and references therein).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A delta's distributary channels provide both the source of sediment and the means for delivering sediment to the locations where it can be most useful for land building. In many deltas the connections between distributary channels and the delta plain have been restricted (e.g., Esposito et al., 2020), and land use managers are working to plan diversions of water and sediment that will leverage delta sediment transport processes to deliver sediment to vulnerable or valuable wetlands (Auerbach et al., 2015; Cox et al., 2022; Giosan et al., 2013; Paola et al., 2011; Temmerman et al., 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The planning and management of these diversions will be a complex task because of the need to consider the hydrological, ecological and temporal dynamics of their operation (Keogh et al., 2019; Peyronnin et al., 2017). Critically, for diversions to be most effective it is important to understand the controls on sediment delivery to, and retention in, the receiving basin (Esposito et al., 2017; Keogh et al., 2019; Peyronnin et al., 2017) and to improve our understanding of the human activities that can enhance sediment retention (Cox et al., 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vegetation‐Driven Seasonal Sediment Dynamics in a Freshwater Marsh of the Mississippi River Delta

et al. 2023

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Deltaic wetlands are uniquely vulnerable to sea level rise due to their coastal setting, low elevation gradient, and the high rate of subsidence in recently deposited sediments (Blum & Roberts, 2009;Giosan et al., 2014;Hoitink et al., 2020;Törnqvist et al., 2020). Many deltas host dense human populations that rely on vast expanses of wetlands for critical ecosystem services including protection from storms (e.g., Edmonds et al., 2020). Despite the vulnerability that is inherent in a delta setting, deltaic ecosystems are also uniquely able to adapt to sea level rise by making use of the riverine sediment transport system to locally increase elevation. A delta's distributary channels provide both the source of sediment and the means for delivering sediment to the locations where it can be most useful for land building. In many deltas the connections between distributary channels and the delta plain have been restricted (e.g., Esposito et al., 2020), and land use managers are working to plan diversions of water and sediment that will leverage delta sediment transport processes to deliver sediment to vulnerable or valuable wetlands (

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vegetation‐Driven Seasonal Sediment Dynamics in a Freshwater Marsh of the Mississippi River Delta

et al. 2023

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“…Levee data for hazard assessment purposes are additionally useful outside the realm of geophysical modeling, and are the core of civil engineering and emergency response management for levee performance, such as during the safety and risk calculation of hurricanes (Mitchell et al, 2013). Data can also be relevant for large-scale studies into the effects and costs of levees, and in their comparison with alternative flood risk reduction strategies in these areas (Ibáñez et al, 2014;Scussolini et al, 2017;Vuik et al, 2019;Cox et al, 2022). The insurance industry, local residents, and homeowners are additional users of levee data and modeling outputs that may help with their hazard and risk assessments (National Research Council, 2013).…”

Section: Why (Data Of) Levees Mattermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because of the negative consequences, contemporary river and flood management projects often prioritize nature-based solutions that limit the need for levees (Esteves, 2014;Cohen-Shacham et al, 2016;Van Wesenbeeck et al, 2014). In deltas in particular, levees are sometimes removed to pursue sedimentation-enhancing strategies (Cox et al, 2022) that restore natural delta functions, but this may not always be possible.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A global open-source database of flood-protection levees on river deltas (openDELvE)

Nienhuis

Cox²,

O'Dell³

et al. 2022

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Flood-protection levees have been built along rivers and coastlines globally. Current datasets, however, are generally confined to territorial boundaries (national datasets) and are not always easily accessible, posing limitations for hydrologic models and assessments of flood hazard. Here, we bridge this knowledge gap by collecting and standardizing global flood-protection levee data for river deltas into the open-source global river delta levee data environment, openDELvE. In openDELvE, we aggregate levee data from national databases, reports, maps, and satellite imagery. The database identifies the river delta land areas that the levees have been designed to protect. Where data are available, we record the extent and design specifications of the levees themselves (e.g., levee height, crest width, construction material) in a harmonized format. The 1657 polygons of openDELvE contain 19 248 km of levees and 44 733.505 km2 of leveed area. For the 153 deltas included in openDELvE, 17 % of the land area is confined by flood-protection levees. Around 26 % of delta population lives within the 17 % of delta area that is protected, making leveed areas densely populated. openDELvE data can help improve flood exposure assessments, many of which currently do not account for flood-protection levees. We find that current flood hazard assessments that do not include levees may exaggerate the delta flood exposure by 33 % on average, but up to 100 % for some deltas. The openDELvE is made public on an interactive platform (https://www.opendelve.eu/, 1 October 2022), which includes a community-driven revision tool to encourage inclusion of new levee data and continuous improvement and refinement of open-source levee data.

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Evolution of wetlands in the northern part of the Po Delta: The experience of unmanaged realignments

Brunetta,

Ciavola

2024

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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It is increasingly recognised that nature‐based solutions in coastal ecosystems provide significant services compared to hard engineering measures. Several restoration projects are now being conducted worldwide to protect coastlines against flood risk and improve the ecosystems' quality. In the case of river deltas, managed realignment through levee breaching is becoming a recognised strategy for coastal wetland restoration. This study focusses on the formation of new wetlands in the Po River Delta after several natural dyke failures that occurred during the last century, when a large part of the land was abandoned and became wetlands. An historical review was performed to quantify the variation of the marsh extent in time developed after natural levee breaching in the easternmost lagoons of the delta and to understand the processes that determined their evolution. The analyses were based on orthophotos from the 1950s to the present‐day integrated with tidal records, water and sediment discharge records, and GPS survey for vegetation distribution. The review indicated that, between the 1950s and 1980s, anthropisation and natural processes caused a strong decline in marsh extent, thus leading to the recent shape of the lagoons. Several breaches and inlets were developed because of a combination of human intervention and erosive processes, and new tidal systems were born. Three main depositional areas connecting the main river branches were identified in three separated lagoons of the delta. These lagoons presented a ‘crevasse splay’ type of deposition which allowed the development of new tidal flats and, in certain cases, of large freshwater marsh systems within less than 8 years after the breach. The newly formed wetland systems (>100 ha) demonstrate the ability of the Po River Delta to build new wetlands, also during periods of human‐induced sediment starvation and high rates of subsidence, suggesting that further levee breaching should be exploited to favour marsh recovery.

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A global synthesis of the effectiveness of sedimentation-enhancing strategies for river deltas and estuaries

Cited by 23 publications

References 103 publications

Vegetation‐Driven Seasonal Sediment Dynamics in a Freshwater Marsh of the Mississippi River Delta

Vegetation‐Driven Seasonal Sediment Dynamics in a Freshwater Marsh of the Mississippi River Delta

A global open-source database of flood-protection levees on river deltas (openDELvE)

Evolution of wetlands in the northern part of the Po Delta: The experience of unmanaged realignments

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