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meltwater. This shows that any change in the discharge from melting
glaciers will have a considerable effect on the millions of people living
downstream (UNEP 2012a).
Yellow Case study 4: Future implication Yellow River Basin—
Fig. 10.21
The Yellow River is the second largest river in China, crisscrossing nine
provinces stretching 5,464 km, covering 7% of China's land area. The
basin is of utmost importance for food production, natural resources, and
Figure 10.21.
The Yellow River is the most sediment-filled river on Earth. The sediment have
reshaped the cost. Compared to earlier image, the 2009 photo shows an increase in developed
land. The shape of the coastline has been significantly changed. The lower reaches of the river
and the delta have been extensively engineered to control flooding and to protect coastal
development. Water and sediment flows to the delta have declined dramatically since the 1970s,
due to reduced rainfall and intensive urban and agricultural demand for water upstream. In
the 1990s, the river ran dry well before reaching the delta. Levees, jetties, and seawalls allow
to slow erosion and direct the flow of the river however challenge to protecting the delta's
natural wetlands, and its agricultural and industrial development remains (NASA images by
Robert Simmon. NASA Earth Observatory).
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