CASE STUDY - RHONE DELTA Flashcards
what is the Rhone Delta?
A River named, River Rhone
what sea does River Rhone flow into?
The river rhone flows into the Mediterranean sea, just to the west of Marseilles in southern France
Where does the delta lie ?
the delta lies between 2 major distributaries of the river Rhone: the Grande Rhone and the petit Rhone, which diverge 4km north of Arles.
what percentage of water from the river does the Grande rhone carry into the sea?
The east branch; grande rhone, the largest of the two branches carrys 85% of the rivers water into the Mediterranean sea
How many years has the Rhone Delta formed over?
Rhone delta has formed over the last 7000 years since the sea level rise at the end of the last ice age finished.
When did the current shoreline begin to take shape ?
at the beginning of the 18th century when a flood moved the course of one of the channels of the rhone to present day position.
the material at the abandoned channel moved to form what?
Beauduc spit
Why did the mouth of the grande rhone change position?
In the 19th century changed position due to human management reducing it from 3 channels to 1
What is the total length of coastline?
Total length of coastline is 90 km and covers an area of 1740km squared
What shape is the delta ?
It is a lobate shape delta
How do waves reshape the delta ?
By moving sediment to the edge of the delta by longshore currents
What are the deposits ?
The deposits are typically sand and silt, with coastal beaches of fine sand.
How does the enclosed shape Of the Mediterranean Sea influence the fetch ?
The enclosed shape of the Mediterranean sea means fetch distances are relatively short in all directions.
How many km is the longest fetch?
900 km from the SW, although that it interrupted by the presence of Balearic Islands.
Does dominant wind direction NW have high or low windspeeds?
Low windspeeds
