River Erosion and Civilization
Humankind has been dealing with river erosion since ancient times. It has mainly negative impact on many man-made objects and human activities, such as settlements, bridges, transportation, water reservoirs, agriculture, mining industry, and international relations. Settlements are impacted on by several means. Buildings are damaged by lateral erosion. Settlements are displaced subsequent to migrating river flows because of river-bed alterations. Settlements located next to large river deltas may be waterlogged. The accumulation of sediments lifts river-bed above adjacent territory, while intensive bottom erosion makes river penetrate deep into the ground. Impact on bridges is madeby both lateral and bottoM erosion that threatens bank supports. Shipping suffers from bottom erosion and accumulation. Changes in water depth complicate navigation. Lateral erosion causes either damaging of port structures or their shifting away from river-bed due to degradation of opposite bank. If off-shore strip is shallow, this leads to estuaries shifts. Not infrequently, due to sediment accumulation, ports turn out to be situated far from sea. River erosion also impacts pipeline transportation. This impact is made on mechanical pressure of pipelines underwater if pipelines are constructed along river-beds. Impact on automobile roads and railroads is similar to above-mentioned thing caused by lateral erosion. River erosion seriously impacts water reservoirs. As a result of hydrological regime change, all transported deposits and overwhelming majority of suspended sediments remain in water reservoirs. Total weight of sediment accumulated in water reservoirs of our planet amounts to 13. 4 billion tons per year. This process diminishes useful capacity of water reservoirs. Plant cultivation and animal husbandry are impacted, when river-beds wander along submountain deltas away from agricultural oases located on them. Fields and pastures also suffer from bank degradation if they are located nearby, from damaging water intake works used for irrigation and etc. River erosion is favorable for mining industry. It can be attained though the accumulating of deposit contain gold, platinum and cassiterite minefields by water. Alluvial gold deposits considerably contribute to total extraction of this metal. Such alluvial sediments as sand, gravel and pebble are often used as ballast, building material for concrete manufacturing or drainage ground for earthworks erection. River erosion impacts diplomatic relations as well. In many cases, international borders coincide with rivers, thus when river-beds shift, some pieces of territory turn out to be located in a neighboring country. Most often, it happens due to bank lateral erosion.
damage erosion human activity impact water reservoirs
S. M. Govorushko
Pacific Geographical Institute, 7 Radio St. , Vladivostok, Russia, 690041
国际会议
郑州
英文
1138-1146
2009-10-20（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）