Deltas around the world are sinking, according to a new study led by CU-Boulder. This image of the Pearl River Delta in China taken was by NASA's space shuttle Endeavour, with the areas below sea level shown in purple. (Credit: Image courtesy NASA, CSDMS, University of Colorado.)
A new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder indicates most of the world’s low-lying river deltas are sinking from human activity, making them increasingly vulnerable to flooding from rivers and ocean storms and putting tens of millions of people at risk.
The study concluded that 24 out of the world’s 33 major deltas are sinking and that 85 percent experienced severe flooding in recent years, resulting in the temporary submergence of roughly 100,000 square miles of land. About 500 million people in the world live on river deltas.
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