Shorelines rely on an influx of sediment to counter what’s lost to erosion by waves and currents. But tracking that sediment flux is challenging in coastal regions where salt, waves, Keep reading
Tag: sediment transport
Growing Downstream
This astronaut photo shows Madagascar’s largest estuary, as of 2024. On the right side, the Betsiboka River flows northwest (right to left, in the image). Less than 100 years ago, Keep reading
“Colors of Glacial Rivers”
As glaciers flow, they grind down rock, creating fine sediment that dyes waterways a milky color. In Jan Erik Waider’s aerial film, we get a bird’s eye view of the Keep reading
“Earth’s Treasure”
Streams of blue and yellow braid across Iceland’s volcanic landscape in this award-winning photo from Miki Spitzer. Glacial water shows an icy blue and sediments glisten in gold. Together, their 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
Stirring Up Sediment
In early February, Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle passed over the Bellona Plateau in the Coral Sea, stirring up sediment from the shallow reefs there. Once the storm cleared, large swirls of 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
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
“Ruin of the Tides”
As tides and waves flow back and forth over a beach, they erode the sandy shore. Here photographer Michael Shainblum captures the streaks and rivulets left by a falling tide. Keep reading
How Sewers Work
One of the most important and underappreciated pieces of urban infrastructure is the sewage system. We rely on them to make our waste vanish, as if by magic. In reality, Keep reading