Deltas

ISSUES

Deltas and estuaries

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...

NEWS

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NIGERIA - Lack of access to safe water is a major source of poor health for millions of residents of Nigeria’s Niger Delta...

ARGENTINA - A study by more than 30 experts from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay warns of the threat menacing the survival...

SUDAN - TAYEBA CHEIKH ABDEL BAQI - "Les paysans se meurent, nous sommes en colère", enrage Youssif, un agriculteur de la...

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FOCUS

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VIDEOS

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INDICATORS

Biocapacity
National biodiversity index
Protected areas

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