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Article Draft edit
A river mouth is where a river flows into a larger body of water, such as another river, a lake/reservoir, a bay/gulf, a sea, or an ocean (Charles, Hogg (2014-06-12)). At the river mouth, sediments are often deposited due to the slowing of the current reducing the carrying capacity (Charles, Hogg (2014-06-12)).
Landforms[edit] edit
At the butt of a river, the change in flow condition can cause the river to drop any sediment it is carrying. This sediment deposition can generate a variety of landforms, such as deltas, sand bars, spits, and tie channels (Rowland, J. C.; Dietrich, W. E.; Day, G.; Parker, G. (2009)). Landforms at the river mouth drastically alter the geomorphology and ecosystem. Along coasts, sand bars act as barriers sheltering sensitive ecosystems that are enriched by nutrients deposited from the river (Fagherazzi 2015). However, damming of rivers can starve it of sand and nutrients creating a deficit at the river mouth (Fagherazzi 2015).
Cultural influence[edit] edit
As river mouths are the site of large scale sediment deposition and allowed for easy travel and ports, many towns and cities are founded there. Many places in the United Kingdom take their names from their positions at the mouths of rivers, such as Plymouth (i.e. mouth of the Plym River), Sidmouth (i.e. mouth of the Sid River), and Great Yarmouth (i.e. mouth of the Yare River); in Celtic, the term is Aber or Inver. Due to rising sea levels as a result of climate change, the coastal cities are at heightened risk of flooding. Sediment starvation in the river compounds this concern (Fagherazzi 2015).
References edit
- Charles, Hogg (2014-06-12). The flow of rivers into lakes: Experiments and models (Thesis). University of Cambridge. doi:10.17863/cam.32.
- Rowland, J. C.; Dietrich, W. E.; Day, G.; Parker, G. (2009). "Formation and maintenance of single‐thread tie channels entering floodplain lakes: Observations from three diverse river systems". Journal of Geophysical Research. 114 (F2): F02013. Bibcode:2009JGRF..114.2013R. doi:10.1029/2008JF001073.
- Fagherazzi, S., D. A. Edmonds, W. Nardin, N. Leonardi, A. Canestrelli, F. Falcini, D. J. Jerolmack, G. Mariotti, J. C. Rowland, and R. L. Slingerland (2015), Dynamics of river mouth deposits, Rev. Geophys., 53, 642–672, doi:10.1002/2014RG000451.