Regional controls on
geomorphology, hydrology, and ecosystem integrity in the Orinoco Delta,
Venezuela Geomorphology, Volume 44, Issues 3-4,
Andrew G. Warne, Robert H. Meade, William A. White,
Edgar H. Guevara, James Gibeaut, Rebecca C. Smyth,
Andres Aslan and Thomas Tremblay
Summary of Points:
·
Interacting river discharge, tidal oscillation, and tropical
rainfall across the 22,000 km2
·
Major factors controlling Orinoco Delta water and sediment
dynamics include the pronounced annual flood discharge; the uneven distribution
of water and sediment discharge across the delta plain; discharge of large
volumes of water with low sediment concentrations through the Río Grande and Araguao
distributaries; water and sediment dynamics associated with the Guayana littoral current along the northeastern South
American coast; inflow of large volumes of Amazon sediment to the Orinoco
coast; development of a fresh water plume seaward of Boca Grande; disruption of
the Guayana Current by Trinidad, Boca de Serpientes, and Gulf of Paria;
and the constriction at Boca de Serpientes.