Delta sustainability from the Holocene to the Anthropocene and envisioning the future

Edward Anthony; Jaia Syvitski; Florin Zăinescu; Robert J. Nicholls; Kim M. Cohen; Nick Marriner; Yoshiki Saito; John Day; Philip S. J. Minderhoud; Alessandro Amorosi; Zhongyuan Chen; Christophe Morhange; Toru Tamura; Alfred Vespremeanu-Stroe; Manon Besset; François Sabatier; David Kaniewski; Vittorio Maselli

doi:10.1038/s41893-024-01426-3

Delta sustainability from the Holocene to the Anthropocene and envisioning the future

Edward Anthony
, Jaia Syvitski
, Florin Zăinescu
, Robert J. Nicholls
, Kim M. Cohen
, Nick Marriner
, Yoshiki Saito
, John Day
, Philip S. J. Minderhoud
, Alessandro Amorosi
, Zhongyuan Chen
, Christophe Morhange
, Toru Tamura
, Alfred Vespremeanu-Stroe
, Manon Besset
, François Sabatier
, David Kaniewski
, Vittorio Maselli

Wageningen University & Research

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

Abstract

River deltas offer numerous ecosystem services and host an estimated global population of 350 million to more than 500 million inhabitants in over 100 countries. To maintain their sustainability into the future, deltas need to withstand sea-level rise from global warming, but human pressures and diminishing sediment supplies are exacerbating their vulnerability. In this Review, we show how deltas have served as environmental incubators for societal development over the past 7,000 years, and how this tightly interlocked relationship now poses challenges to deltas globally. Without climate stabilization, the sustainability of populous low-to-mid-latitude deltas will be difficult to maintain, probably terminating the delta–human relationship that we know today.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	pages1235–1246
Number of pages	12
Journal	Nature Sustainability
Volume	7
Issue number	10
Early online date	9 Oct 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01426-3
Publication status	Published - 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© Springer Nature Limited 2024.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
SDG 13 Climate Action

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10.1038/s41893-024-01426-3

s41893-024-01426-3Final published version, 3.41 MBLicence: Taverne

Cite this

Anthony, E., Syvitski, J., Zăinescu, F., Nicholls, R. J., Cohen, K. M., Marriner, N., Saito, Y., Day, J., Minderhoud, P. S. J., Amorosi, A., Chen, Z., Morhange, C., Tamura, T., Vespremeanu-Stroe, A., Besset, M., Sabatier, F., Kaniewski, D., & Maselli, V. (2024). Delta sustainability from the Holocene to the Anthropocene and envisioning the future. Nature Sustainability, 7(10), pages1235–1246. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01426-3

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abstract = "River deltas offer numerous ecosystem services and host an estimated global population of 350 million to more than 500 million inhabitants in over 100 countries. To maintain their sustainability into the future, deltas need to withstand sea-level rise from global warming, but human pressures and diminishing sediment supplies are exacerbating their vulnerability. In this Review, we show how deltas have served as environmental incubators for societal development over the past 7,000 years, and how this tightly interlocked relationship now poses challenges to deltas globally. Without climate stabilization, the sustainability of populous low-to-mid-latitude deltas will be difficult to maintain, probably terminating the delta{\textendash}human relationship that we know today.",

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Anthony, E, Syvitski, J, Zăinescu, F, Nicholls, RJ, Cohen, KM, Marriner, N, Saito, Y, Day, J, Minderhoud, PSJ, Amorosi, A, Chen, Z, Morhange, C, Tamura, T, Vespremeanu-Stroe, A, Besset, M, Sabatier, F, Kaniewski, D & Maselli, V 2024, 'Delta sustainability from the Holocene to the Anthropocene and envisioning the future', Nature Sustainability, vol. 7, no. 10, pp. pages1235–1246. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01426-3

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AU - Anthony, Edward

AU - Syvitski, Jaia

AU - Zăinescu, Florin

AU - Nicholls, Robert J.

AU - Cohen, Kim M.

AU - Marriner, Nick

AU - Saito, Yoshiki

AU - Day, John

AU - Minderhoud, Philip S. J.

AU - Amorosi, Alessandro

AU - Chen, Zhongyuan

AU - Morhange, Christophe

AU - Tamura, Toru

AU - Vespremeanu-Stroe, Alfred

AU - Besset, Manon

AU - Sabatier, François

AU - Kaniewski, David

AU - Maselli, Vittorio

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AB - River deltas offer numerous ecosystem services and host an estimated global population of 350 million to more than 500 million inhabitants in over 100 countries. To maintain their sustainability into the future, deltas need to withstand sea-level rise from global warming, but human pressures and diminishing sediment supplies are exacerbating their vulnerability. In this Review, we show how deltas have served as environmental incubators for societal development over the past 7,000 years, and how this tightly interlocked relationship now poses challenges to deltas globally. Without climate stabilization, the sustainability of populous low-to-mid-latitude deltas will be difficult to maintain, probably terminating the delta–human relationship that we know today.

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DO - 10.1038/s41893-024-01426-3

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EP - 1246

JO - Nature Sustainability

JF - Nature Sustainability

IS - 10

ER -

Delta sustainability from the Holocene to the Anthropocene and envisioning the future

Abstract

Bibliographical note

UN SDGs

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Other files and links

Fingerprint

A 7000-year record of human influence on Global River Deltas: Geomorphology, stratigraphy, the Anthropocene overprint and future

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