Abstract:
River deltas host more than 300 million people; given their importance and the risks they are subjected to, research in these systems has greatly advanced in the last decade. Due to the vast range of spatial and temporal scales associated with their features and processes, these systems are complex and heterogeneous. Because of these characteristics, deltas are often analyzed with system scale approaches. Here, however, I argue that the spatial and temporal variability of deltaic systems need to be quantified and accounted for in order to inform management solutions. Using the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta as example, one of the largest and most densely populated deltas in the world, I will show how spatial and temporal information on network structure and dynamics can be quantified and I will discuss the importance of initiating a paradigm shift in which natural systems complexity and local instability are managed but not constrained.
Biography:
Paola Passalacqua is an Associate Professor of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Genoa, Italy, with a BS (2002) in Environmental Engineering, and received a MS (2005) and a PhD (2009) in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include network analysis and dynamics of hydrologic and environmental transport on river networks and deltaic systems, lidar and satellite imagery analysis, multi-scale analysis of hydrological processes, and quantitative analysis and modeling of landscape forming processes.
