River Discharge to the Coastal Ocean
A Global Synthesis

The first in-depth synthesis of processes controlling river discharge to the global ocean, including climatic and anthropogenic factors; includes online database.

John D. Milliman (Author), Katherine L. Farnsworth (Author)

9781107612181, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 28 March 2013

394 pages, 10 b/w illus. 160 colour illus. 140 maps 70 tables
27.2 x 21.8 x 2 cm, 1.09 kg

'This book is engaging. The writing style is clear, direct and informal, and the authors … take the 'global' in the title seriously - the examples are nicely balanced around the world … Anyone interested in continental- to global-scale particle and dissolved fluxes from the continents to the world ocean will benefit from having this material close at hand.' Chris Paola, Oceanography

Rivers provide the primary link between land and sea. Utilizing the world's largest database, this book presents a detailed analysis and synthesis of the processes affecting fluvial discharge of water, sediment and dissolved solids. It also discusses the ways in which climatic variation, episodic events and anthropogenic activities - past, present and future - affect the quantity and quality of river discharge. The book contains more than 165 figures - many in full color - including global and regional maps. An extensive appendix presents the 1534-river database as a series of 44 tables that provide quantitative data regarding the discharge of water, sediment and dissolved solids. The complete database is also presented within a GIS-based package available online at www.cambridge.org/milliman. Now available in paperback, reprinted with corrections, this is an invaluable resource for researchers, professionals and graduate students in hydrology, oceanography, geology, geomorphology and environmental policy.

Foreword
1. Introduction
2. Runoff, erosion and delivery to the coastal ocean
3. Temporal variations
4. Human impacts
Appendices. Global River Database: Appendix A: North and Central America
Appendix B: South America
Appendix C: Europe
Appendix D: Africa
Appendix E: Eurasia
Appendix F: Asia
Appendix G: Oceania
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Marine engineering [TTS], Physical geography & topography [RGB], Oceanography [seas RBKC], Geological surface processes [geomorphology RBGD]