Sedimentary Evolution And Hazardous Geology During The Holocene In The Yangtze River And The Red River Deltas And The Neighboring Coastal Areas

The Yangtze River (Changjiang) and the Red River (Song Hong) that originate in highlands of the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau, two of the largest rivers in East and Southeast Asia in terms of water and sediment discharge into oceans, play a pivotal role in the global biogeochemical cycle. The Yangtze River Delta is located at the west coast of the East China Sea and the Red River delta at the west coast of the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea. Both were initiated during the early to middle Holocene.

The rivers of East Asia are some of the largest and most important to human society and the global economy. They drain a variety of terrains from the Tibetan plateau, the hill country of southern China and the steep mountains of Taiwan. The sediment they carry potentially records the longterm evolution of continental environments within the marine stratigraphic record. Sediments reaching the ocean have to traverse the wide continental shelves where they may be reworked and transported by longshore currents, typhoon storm waves, as well as large ocean currents such as the Kuroshio. Deciphering any marine record requires us to understand the dynamics of sediment transport on the continental shelves, and this region acts as a global type example of such processes. Studies in this volume span a wide range of subdisciplines in the marine sciences and provide new insights into how sediment is distributed offshore after leaving the river mouths

This collection contains 11 papers presented at Deltas of the World, part of Coastal Zone '93, the Eighth Symposium on Coastal and Ocean Management, held in New Orleans, Louisiana, July 19-23, 1993. Part of the Coastlines of the World series.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the Yangtze River system and its water resources development and management. From the perspectives of geology, hydrology, zoology, ecology, it discusses the Yangtze River’s geological history and aquatic environments, analyses the endangered species along the river basin, and reviews the effects of human hydrolytic activities on its ecosystem. By studying the history of Yangtze River system and its water resources development, it provides insights into the effects of evolution and human activities on the ecosystem of its basin, and offers strategic thoughts on conservation and sustainable development of the Yangtze River. Written by an author with extensive experience in the field, this book is an invaluable reference resource for researchers interested in the Yangtze River.

This book provides a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the morphodynamic process of the Changjiang River from upstream to estuary in the Anthropocene. As the longest river in China, the Changjiang River has nurtured Chinese civilization with ample natural resources for thousands of years. Evidence highlights that the Changjiang River has experienced intensive human interference and indicated dramatic changes in the Anthropocene, including “no flood in flood season, no dry in dry season” in discharge; “less flood in flood season, more dry in dry season” in sediment; riverbed shifts from accretion to erosion; lakes in the middle-lower reach turn from sediment sink to source; estuarine tidal flat exhibits self-organization characteristics and maintains the current accretion state; estuarine branches that connect to the sea show district morphodynamic patterns; and depocenters of the submerged delta indicate periodic shifts. The book stresses that dam construction upstream, practically the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydraulic engineering project, has significant influences on the hydrology and geomorphology of the middle-lower reach but has a slight effect on estuarine delta development. The geomorphological structure of the estuarine channel is dominated by local land reclamation, navigation, and dredging. This book clarifies the river-estuary morphodynamics of the Changjiang River and indicates the general features of global mega rivers under human interference as well as their own response mechanisms. This book also exhibits the potential risk of river-estuary deltas in the future, as both material and dynamics are experiencing acceleration adjustment.

The 30th International Geological Congress was held in Beijing, China in August 1997. Leading scientists convened to present their findings and views to the international geological research community. Volume 8 of 26 focuses on basin analysis, global sedimentary geology and sedimentology. All articles in the proceedings have been refereed and keynote papers have been included in Volume 1. These proceedings aim to present a view of contemporary geology and should be of interest to researchers in the geological sciences.