Wave action can be a major source of erosion along riverbanks and shorelines. But in a recent study, scientists were able to perfectly absorb incoming waves to create a downstream Keep reading
Tag: erosion
The Best of FYFD 2023
A fresh year means a look back at what was popular last year on FYFD. Usually, I give a numeric list of the top 10 posts, but this year the Keep reading
“Emerald Roots”
As charged particles from the solar wind bombard the upper atmosphere, a glowing plasma forms and dances in the sky. The green light of the plasma reflects off moistened sand, Keep reading
Eroding the Sphinx
One theory suggests that the Great Sphinx of Giza formed — in part — naturally as a result of erosion, and ancient Egyptians added features to the bedrock formation. To Keep reading
Painting in Sediment
Pale plumes of sediment flow off these islands in the Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka. As waves erode the land, currents and tides carry the sediment outward, Keep reading
Why We Can’t Control Rivers
Rivers are systems in a constant state of change, balancing flow speeds, path length, sediment deposition, and erosion, as seen in this previous Practical Engineering video. The next video in Keep reading
Snow-Covered Trees
In the Hakkōda Mountains of Japan, snow encases the trees, transforming the ski slopes into a hoodoo-filled winter wonderland. Photographer Sho Shibata captured these images while journeying through the area Keep reading
Why Rivers Shift
In their natural state, rivers are variable in their course, shifting and meandering. Sometimes they deposit sediment, and sometimes they erode it. In this video, Grady from Practical Engineering digs Keep reading
Sedimentation After Flooding
The new year brought California a series of atmospheric rivers that poured record amounts of water onto drought-stricken lands. While the precipitation refreshed snowpacks and reservoirs, much of it washed Keep reading
The Delta Series
It’s easy in the rush of our daily lives to forget just how dynamic rivers are. In his “Delta Series” conservation photographer Paul Nicklen explores that ever-changing nature from above Keep reading