Deltas on the move; Making deltas cope with the effects of climate c

More documents

Recommendations

Info

KvR report 001/2006At Kruibeke (Figure 4.4), to the south of Antwerp, along the Scheldt in Flanders(Belgium), a number of former agricultural polders are being turned into emergencyoverflow areas. In the event of a storm tide at sea, the water in the Scheldt flowsover the lowered polder dikes (bottom figure), thus preventing flooding in the nearbycity of Antwerp. In order to allow the adjacent area to act as a freshwater tidal marsh,water is also allowed in and out through a number of inlet works at average waterlevels (top figure).Figure 4.4: Scheldt river in Flanders (Drawings by Jeroen Helmer).<strong>Deltas</strong> on the moveStorm surge barrier. With theaid of storm surge barriers,river mouths can be closedoff in such a way that thenatural processes remainactive, while still protectingagainst the risk of flooding(Rijkswaterstaat).Upriver from the deltaStorage at the sourceOne of the consequences of climate change is the increased risk of extremeprecipitation and therefore also of higher river discharges. The consequences of thiswill be felt most keenly in low-lying areas, including the delta. Most of the peakdischarges of the Rhine and the Meuse originate in the low mountain ranges. Since arelatively large amount of land is available there, compared to the densely populateddelta, it is much cheaper to implement measures in the mountain ranges to retainwater there instead of immediately sending all of it downstream. Such measuresinclude the restoration of marshes in the uppermost sections of the stream valleysand the development of deciduous forests on the hillsides (Figure 4.5). As a result ofthese measures, the sponge effect of the drainage basin can be revitalized. Besideslower maximum discharges following extreme precipitation, this can also result inwater being supplied over a longer length of time in dry periods.Figure 4.5:In the lower mountain ranges, the restoration of marshes in the upperreaches of streams (10% of the surface area of the catchment) canincrease the sponge effect of the drainage basin (Drawing by JeroenHelmer).Reopening of distributariesDue to the closure of sea inlets, the delta’s inland water and sediment managementis thrown completely off balance. In the Dutch delta, the delta works led to theintended freshwater lakes changing into severely eutrophied bodies of water,suffering from algal blooms. A further consequence was that the river sediment didno longer reach the coast; instead, it settled in the former tidal inlets, where itremained due to the lack of tidal currents.The natural system can only recover by reopening the distributaries on the seawardside and to use a storm surge barriers (see photo) instead of permanent dams. Sincethe closure of inlets had the important additional goal of making fresh water availablefor agriculture throughout the delta, an alternative solution for the transportation offresh water to the west of the Netherlands will need to be found. This could be madepossible by situating the entry points of fresh water further up the rivers.3839
KvR report 001/2006Restoration of sediment flow at damsReservoirs have been constructed upstream in many rivers, trapping all the sedimentcarried along by the river. Consequently, sediment is no longer transported to thedelta. Well-known examples are the Nile and the Colorado. Due to the lack ofsediment, these deltas are receding by tens of meters per year. In most cases,breaking down the dams is not an option. Methods or technologies could thereforebe sought to let the sediment pass through while still keeping the dams in place.Restoration of sediment balance of streams and riversThe sediment balance has been disturbed in many drainage basins by fixing thelocation of streams and river beds. Erosion has thus been checked, butsedimentation continues at the same level. Consequently, many naturally erodingstream and river beds now have a sedimentation surplus. The result is that theseriver beds gradually silt up, leaving less room for the storage of high water. At thesame time, less sediment reaches the delta, resulting in a shortage of sediment.Where possible, options must be sought in river and stream systems to restore theprocess of erosion.<strong>Deltas</strong> on the move4.4 SummaryFour strategies of system-based measures can be distinguished: physical measuresaimed at the management of sediment and water, adaptation and no action. Theextent to which measures could contribute to the continued existence of deltas ispartly dependent on the space and scope available within a given delta. Whichmeasure can best be taken depends on local ecological, economic and socialcircumstances.In densely populated deltas, it will be difficult to take system-based measures thatrequire a lot of space. In the case of many deltas in poor countries, where the costsare much greater than the benefits, it may be an option not to take physicalmeasures at all. Spatial planning is then a way of adaptation in which different zonesin a delta are identified by which the spatial distribution of people and humanactivities is regulated. At last political measures (gradually removing the populationfrom the delta ) and/or economic measures (insurance, compensation for losses) canbe applied. Even if deltas cannot be fully protected by system-based measures, thiscan still be a suitable localized solution.By means of a careful, shallow method of gravel extraction, the Border Meuse isregaining a broad, natural floodplain along a 35 km stretch of the river on the borderbetween the Netherlands and Belgium (Figure 4.6). As the river is no longer fixed inplace, the river’s eroding character is preserved and the created space will not befilled up again with sediment; instead, this sediment will be carried furtherdownstream.Figure 4.6:The Border Meuse (Drawing by Jeroen Helmer).4041
Page 1 and 2: Deltas on the move
Page 3 and 4: Copyright @ 2006National Research P
Page 5 and 6: KvR report 001/2006Deltas</
Page 7 and 8: KvR report 001/2006as possible, com
Page 9 and 10: KvR report 001/2006Delta, estuary,
Page 11 and 12: KvR report 001/2006Wave-dominated d
Page 19 and 20: KvR report 001/2006of social aspect
Page 21: KvR report 001/2006On the delta pla
Page 25 and 26: KvR report 001/2006We adopted a thr
Page 29 and 30: KvR report 001/2006scaleabbreviatio
Page 35 and 36: KvR report 001/2006The ranking of d
Page 37 and 38: KvR report 001/2006Figure 6.12: <st
Page 39 and 40: KvR report 001/2006almost completel
Page 41 and 42: KvR report 001/20067.3 AdaptationAd
Page 47 and 48: KvR report 001/2006For the river we
Page 49 and 50: KvR report 001/2006Figure 8:populat
Page 51 and 52: KvR report 001/2006scale variable c

Deltas on the move; Making deltas cope with the effects of climate c

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?