Deltas and estuaries constitute the intermediary area between the river and marine environments. A delta is a sedimentary overhang of land on the sea; an estuary is an indentation GLOSSARY at the mouth of a river which allows, to the contrary, the sea to advance into the land. They are generally characterized by variations in salinity –the presence of a freshwater on one side and marine saltwater on the other– as well as by great biomass and production, due mainly to the abundance of nutrients caught up in the water and sediment. This production is estimated at 680g/m3/year, compared to 42 in the oceanic domain and 120 for the continental seas. Deltas around the world Approximately forty large deltas exist, the largest being that of the Amazon, covering 467,000 km2, followed by the Gange-Brahmapoutre (Bangladesh), measuring 105,600 km². Among the other large deltas, two are located in China, two in Vietnam (including t...
29/12/2011
US eyes first BP criminal charges over Gulf spill: WSJ
23/12/2011
Rush to clean major oil spill from Shell field off Nigeria
12/12/2011
Species, threats grow in Mekong region: WWF
UNEP
The environmental restoration of Ogoniland could prove to be the world's most wide-ranging and long term oil clean-up exercise...
We have tended in the past to regard mangrove swamps as being of little use to humans. They occupy muddy coastlines in tropical regions, tend to be infested with mosquitoes, and are easily flooded by the sea or...
Biocapacity National biodiversity index Protected areas
