How have coastal river deltas, mangrove forests, and coastal wetlands been affected by human activity?

What will be an ideal response?


Coastal river deltas, mangrove forests, and coastal wetlands provide considerable natural protection against flood and wave damage from coastal storms, hurricanes, typhoons, and tsunamis. They weaken the force of waves and absorb excess storm water like sponges. When we remove or degrade these ecosystems, any damage from a natural disaster such as a hurricane is intensified. As a result, flooding in places such as New Orleans, Louisiana, and Venice, Italy, is a largely self-inflicted unnatural disaster. Dams, levees, and hydroelectric power plants reduce flood protection provided by the coastal deltas and wetlands. Because river sediments are deposited in the reservoirs behind dams, the river deltas do not get their normal inputs of sediment to build them back up, and they subside or sink into the sea.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

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What type of stream is shown in this figure?

A. meandering stream B. an esker C. braided stream D. a stream whose main channel has high sinuosity

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

Which of the following is out of order if we are considering the Earth from the atmosphere to the center? [Crust, mantle, Moho, outer core, inner core]

A) crust B) mantle C) Moho D) outer core E) inner core

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

Sequences of deep-sea sediments, oceanic crust, and upper mantle rocks on land—called ophiolites—indicate the

presence of an old convergent boundary. a. True b. False

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

The genus ____________________ lived from 4 million-1 million years ago and coexisted with Homo for almost 1.5

million years Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences