Press Releases

New paper looks at effectiveness of sediment retention strategies around the world

BATON ROUGE, La. (May 19, 2022) – A new paper in Global and Planetary Change examines strategies from around the world used to increase the amount of sediment that can be retained in river deltas and estuaries to help areas keep up with sea level rise.

"A global synthesis of the effectiveness of sedimentation-enhancing strategies for river deltas and estuaries," results from a collaboration of research scientists including Christopher Esposito and Brendan Yuill from The Water Institute, led by report author Jana Cox, river-delta researcher at Utrecht University in The Netherlands.

Utrecht University assembled an international team of specialists to investigate and review existing and planned projects that are being explored globally to raise land, so-called "Sedimentation Enhancing Strategies."

Four strategies were identified which are used to save deltas: River diversions, tidal flooding, sedimentation structures and vegetative planting.

“All four of these strategies trap sand and mud onto delta lands and raise it above sea level. They are effective and can offset even extreme sea-level rise conditions," Cox said. "Different projects are available at a variety of different scales for deltas of different sizes. Projects can last from ten to a hundred years, depending on what the desired outcome is.”

Read the full release on the new paper at Utrecht University here.

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