River deltas have been instrumental in human history. Early civilization owed much to its survival because of they were mostly built near river deltas. Today many communities are still situated near them. River deltas though are also threatened as climate change has brought a change in tropical storm patterns, which are vital for river deltas.
Climate change is changing the pattern of tropical storms, and along with it, river deltas are also affected. This has been the result of the study made by the University of Southampton. The study has been made on the Mekong River in Vietnam, one of the important rivers in Asia as it has been home to a number of communities for many centuries.
The change in tropical storm patterns means that sediment deposits running to the deltas as lessening as well, according to Phys Org. Sediments make the deltas rich, and it provides material as well against flooding. With fewer sediment deposits communities and the environment along it could be threatened.
"Our study is the first to show the significant role tropical storms play in delivering sediments to large river deltas," lead researcher Professor Stephen Darby of the University of Southampton said. For the study, a new method has been developed to analyze archived water discharged into the Mekong River. They then modeled the water that flows into the Mekong's channels. In that way, the team was able to know the impact tropical storms have on sediment deposit.
One-third of the sediment deposited on the Mekong River delta is due to tropical storms, as Darby notes on The Conversation. Once the deposits are lessened the Mekong faces a crisis, as slowly rising ocean levels could mean that many communities could face flooding in the future without the delta acting as a buffer.
It is not only the Mekong River that's facing that crisis, as 28 of the world's 33 major river deltas also face the same risk. Aside from changing tropical storm patterns, human activities have also lowered much of the world's river deltas. It has been suggested that tropical storm patterns should be considered as a factor in the study of the decline of river deltas worldwide.
British scientists could possibly help out, as it is reported that they could now predict the weather a year ahead.
