Why Do Rivers Have Deltas?
Where rivers meet the ocean, coastlines tend to bend either inward or outward, creating estuaries and deltas. But how do they get those shapes? A huge thank-you to the following organizations,...
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The world is divided into two kinds of people: those with innie belly buttons, and thosewith outies. Rivers also have innies and outies – not belly buttons, but mouths: where riversflow into the sea, the land either pokes out or bends inward. But rivers don’t have umbilicalcords, so why do they have innies and outies? Well, coasts are the front lines between twoopposing forces – land and water. In order for the ocean to invade the land, sea leveleither has to come up, or the land has to sink down or erode away. And in order forthe land to advance into the ocean, sea level either has to drop, or the land has to build(or be lifted) up. Obviously, if sea level drops and then risesback again, there’s no net gain on either side – but things get more complicated ...
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The world is divided into two kinds of people: those with innie belly buttons, and thosewith outies. Rivers also have innies and outies – not belly buttons, but mouths: where riversflow into the sea, the land either pokes out or bends inward. But rivers don’t have umbilicalcords, so why do they have innies and outies? Well, coasts are the front lines between twoopposing forces – land and water. In order for the ocean to invade the land, sea leveleither has to come up, or the land has to sink down or erode away. And in order forthe land to advance into the ocean, sea level either has to drop, or the land has to build(or be lifted) up. Obviously, if sea level drops and then risesback again, there’s no net gain on either side – but things get more complicated ...
