Entropy and optimality in river deltas

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Alejandro TejedorEfi Foufoula-Georgiou

Abstract

The form and function of river deltas is intricately linked to the evolving structure of their channel networks, which controls how effectively deltas are nourished with sediments and nutrients. Understanding the coevolution of deltaic channels and their flux organization is crucial for guiding maintenance strategies of these highly stressed systems from a range of anthropogenic activities. To date, however, a unified theory explaining how deltas self-organize to distribute water and sediment up to the shoreline remains elusive. Here, we provide evidence for an optimality principle underlying the self-organized partition of fluxes in delta channel networks. By introducing a suitable nonlocal entropy rate ([Formula: see text]) and by analyzing field and simulated deltas, we suggest that delta networks achieve configurations that maximize the diversity of water and sediment flux delivery to the shoreline. We thus suggest that prograding deltas attain dynamically accessible optima of flux distributions on their channel network topologies, thus effectively decoupling evolutionary time scales of geomorphology and hydrology. When interpreted in terms of delta resilience, high nER configurations reflect an increased ability to withsta...Continue Reading

References

Sep 16, 2000·Physical Review Letters·J R BanavarA Rinaldo
Nov 27, 2008·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Sergio Fagherazzi
Dec 7, 2013·Nature·Matthew L Kirwan, J Patrick Megonigal
Feb 20, 2014·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Andrea RinaldoIgnacio Rodriguez-Iturbe
Dec 5, 2014·Nature·Liviu GiosanJohn Day

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Citations

Oct 21, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Gerard SalterChris Paola
Jul 30, 2020·The Science of the Total Environment·Chengjie XieZhonghua Ning
Apr 8, 2021·Journal of Environmental Management·Mohit Prakash Mohanty, Subhankar Karmakar

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