Collaborative Research: Understanding deltas through the lens of their channel networks

海岸线上的泥沙沉积形成了河道，这些河道扩展成一个网络，形成了一个河流三角洲。三角洲拥有大量人口、宝贵的港口和自然资源，但它们受到海平面上升、上游大坝开发和资源勘探的威胁。对这些威胁的敏感性取决于输送水和泥沙的三角洲河道，但目前尚不清楚是什么控制了这些河道的排列。这项研究将使用数值模拟和现场三角洲的网络分析来测试海浪、潮汐和洪水如何影响三角洲航道的形态及其对环境变化的响应。该团队将通过暑期研讨会吸引研究生，并培训他们使用跨学科方法来解决科学、工业和政策相关领域的问题。Delta渠道网络表现出复杂的模式，这是了解Delta自我维护和对外部扰动的恢复能力的关键。这项研究旨在通过三角洲河道网络的透镜，以图论、数值模拟和对不同水文气候环境和人为影响水平的60多个现场三角洲的分析为基础，三管齐下地研究三角洲。最终目标是通过以下方式促进我们对三角洲地貌动力学和变化响应的理解：(1)将网络属性与潜在的物理过程联系起来，(2)提出三角洲分类框架，以及(3)从最优化原则和解释可能的偏差方面探索三角洲的自组织。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Sediment deposition at the coastline creates channels that spread out into a network and form a river delta. Deltas are home to large populations, valuable ports, and natural resources, but they are threatened by sea level rise, upstream dam development, and resource exploration. Sensitivity to these threats depends on the delta channels that move water and sediment, yet it is not clear what controls the arrangement of these channels. This research will use network analysis of numerically simulated and field deltas to test how ocean waves, tides, and floods influence the configuration of delta channels and their response to environmental change. The team will engage graduate students through summer workshops and train them in cross-disciplinary methods to address problems in science, industry, and policy-related fields. Delta channel networks exhibit complex patterns that are key for understanding delta self-maintenance and resilience to external perturbations. The proposed research aims to study deltas through the lens of their delta channel networks via a three-pronged approach based on graph-theory, numerical modeling, and the analysis of more than 60 field deltas of diverse hydroclimatic environments and levels of anthropogenic influence. The ultimate goal is to advance our understanding of delta morphodynamics and response to change by: (1) relating network properties to the underlying physical processes, (2) proposing a delta classification framework, and (3) exploring delta self-organization in terms of optimality principles and interpreting possible deviations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.