Avijit Gupta is Honorary Principal Fellow in the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences at the University of Wollongong in Australia.

About the Editor xxiii List of Contributors xxv Preface xxxiii 1 Introduction 1Avijit Gupta 1.1 Large Rivers and People 1 1.2 What Is a Large River? 1 1.3 The Book and its Content 4 References 6 Part I Background 2 Geology of Large River Systems 7Sampat K. Tandon and Rajiv Sinha 2.1 Introduction 7 2.2 Tectonic Settings of Large River Systems 9 2.3 Complexity of Drainage Types and Channel Morphology 12 2.4 Large Rivers - Climatic Settings and Climatic Variability 17 2.5 Modern Large Rivers - Hydrology and Sediment Dispersal 19 2.6 Landforms and Alluvial Architecture of Large River Systems 23 2.7 Growth and Development of Large River Systems 28 2.8 Duration of Large River Systems and the Rock Record 30 2.9 Sea Level, Tectonic, and Climatic Controls on the Large River Systems 31 2.10 Concluding Remarks 33 Acknowledgments 34 References 34 3 Hydrology and Discharge 42Ellen Wohl and Katherine B. Lininger 3.1 Introduction 42 3.2 Large Rivers of the Equatorial Regions 51 3.3 Large Rivers of the Drylands 54 3.4 Rivers of the Mid-Latitudes 57 3.5 Rivers Draining South from the Himalaya 59 3.6 Rivers of East and Southeast Asia 61 3.7 High-Latitude Rivers 63 3.8 Conclusion 64 Acknowledgment 66 References 67 4 Transcontinental Moving and Storage: The Orinoco and Amazon Rivers Transfer the Andes to the Atlantic 76Robert H. Meade 4.1 Introduction 76 4.2 Andean Sources and Alluvial Storage 76 4.3 Orinoco 78 4.4 Amazon 82 4.5 The Amazon Goes to Sea 92 4.6 Coda 94 Acknowledgements 94 References 95 5 Megafloods and Large Rivers 100Victor R. Baker 5.1 Introduction 100 5.2 Historical Background 100 5.3 Terrestrial Glacial Megafloods 101 5.4 Extraterrestrial Megafloods and Megarivers 108 5.5 Conclusion 109 References 110 6 Classification, Architecture, and Evolution of Large River Deltas 114Kazuaki Hori and Yoshiki Saito 6.1 Introduction 114 6.2 Definition of a Delta and Delta Components 116 6.3 Classification of Deltas 122 6.4 Morphology and Sediment 124 6.5 Delta Evolution 130 6.6 Problems of Sediment Supply 134 6.7 Concluding Remarks 135 Acknowledgements 136 References 136 7 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy of Large River Deposits: Recognition and Preservation Potential in the Rock Record 146Christopher R. Fielding 7.1 Introduction 146 7.2 Geomorphology of Modern Big Rivers 150 7.3 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy of Modern Big Rivers 150 7.4 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy of Ancient Big Rivers 156 7.5 Discussion: Preservation Potential of Big River Deposits 159 7.6 Conclusion 160 Acknowledgments 161 References 161 Part II Case Studies 8 Effects of Tectonism and Sea-Level Change on the Form and Behaviour of the Modern Amazon River and Its Floodplain 171Leal A.K. Mertes and Thomas Dunne 8.1 Background 171 8.2 Amazon Basin Characteristics 172 8.3 Tectonic Influences on the Modern Amazon 177 8.4 Structural Influences on Amazon River Geomorphology 183 8.5 Influences of Sea-Level Changes on the Amazon River and Floodplain 193 8.6 Conclusion 197 Acknowledgements 198 References 199 9 The Mississippi River System 205James C. Knox 9.1 Introduction 205 9.2 Cenozoic Drainage Evolution 206 9.3 Influence of Quaternary Glaciations 209 9.4 Proglacial Lakes and Extreme Floods 211 9.5 Response of the Lower Mississippi Valley to Upper Valley Glaciation and Flooding 213 9.6 The Mississippi River System During the Holocene 215 9.7 Morphology of the Mississippi River 227 9.8 Modern Hydrology 233 9.9 The Mississippi River System: Summary and Outlook 242 Acknowledgements 244 References 245 10 The Colorado River 253John C. Schmidt, Lindsey Bruckerhoff, Homa Salehabadi, and Jian Wang 10.1 Introduction 253 10.2 Physiography 255 10.3 Gradient, Valley Width, and Channel Form in the Colorado Plateau 257 10.4 Hydrology 260 10.5 The Colorado River in the Millennium Drought 265 10.6 Hydrology: Past and Future 281 10.7 Pre-dam and Post-dam Sediment Yield and Sediment Transport 285 10.8 Channel Adjustment and Ecological Change During the Twentieth Century 289 10.9 Modern Fish Community 299 10.10 Environmental Management of the Modern River 302 10.11 The Future 306 10.12 Conclusion 307 References 308 11 The Lena: A Large River in a Deep Permafrost Zone 320Emmanuèle Gautier, François Costard, and Alexander Fedorov 11.1 Introduction 320 11.2 Description of the Lena Drainage Basin 321 11.3 A Periglacial Environment 323 11.4 Floodplain, Delta, and Periglacial Land Forms 323 11.5 Impact of Climatic Change on the Hydrosystem 330 11.6 Conclusion 331 References 332 12 The Danube: Morphology, Evolution, and Environmental Issues 335Dénes Lóczy 12.1 Introduction 335 12.2 Water and Sediment 337 12.3 Headwaters of the Danube 339 12.4 Hydromorphology of the Danube Sections 341 12.5 The Danube Delta 345 12.6 The Evolution of the Valley of the Danube 347 12.7 Human Impacts 354 References 360 13 The Yukon and the Mackenzie: Large Arctic Rivers of North America 368Ellen Wohl, Natalie Kramer, and Katherine B. Lininger 13.1 Introduction 368 13.2 Large Arctic Rivers of North America 369 13.3 The Yukon and the Mackenzie: A Study in Contrasts 374 13.4 The Future of Large Arctic Rivers in North America 378 13.5 Conclusion 381 References 381 14 The River Nile: Evolution and Environment 388Jamie C. Woodward, Mark G. Macklin, Michael D. Krom, and Martin A.J. Williams 14.1 Introduction 388 14.2 Nile Basin River Environments 390 14.3 Early Origins and the Neogene Nile 391 14.4 The Late Pleistocene and Holocene Nile 394 14.5 Records of Nile River Behaviour in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea 402 14.6 The Modern Nile: Hydrology and Geomorphology 406 14.7 The Suspended Sediment Budget 415 14.8 The Nile Delta and The Eastern Mediterranean 417 14.9 River Basin Management and Global Change 421 Acknowledgements 425 References 425 15 The Congo River, Central Africa 433Jürgen Runge 15.1 Introduction 433 15.2 The Course of the Congo River 434 15.3 Geology and Geomorphology of the Congo Basin 440 15.4 Evolution of the Congo River 444 15.5 The Flow Regime of the Congo 445 15.6 Solid, Suspended, and Dissolved Load 448 15.7 The Congo Mouth and the Submarine Canyon 449 15.8 The Congo River and Its Economic Importance 450 15.9 Conclusion 451 Acknowledgements 452 References 452 16 The Zambezi: Origins and Legacies of Earth's Oldest River System 457Andy E. Moore, Fenton P.D. Cotterill, Mike P.L. Main, and Hugh B. Williams 16.1 Introduction 457 16.2 The Zambezi River System 459 16.3 Hydrology 464 16.4 Ecological Impact of Major Dams 467 16.5 Evolution of the Zambezi River System 469 16.6 Drainage Evolution and Speciation 478 16.7 Cultural and Economic Aspects 481 16.8 Conclusion 482 Acknowledgements 483 References 483 17 The Geographic, Geological, and Oceanographic Setting of the Indus River - An Update 488Asif Inam, Peter D. Clift, Liviu Giosan, Anwar Alizai, Samina Kidwai, Muhammad I. Shahzad, Ibrahim Zia, Majid Nazeer, Muhammad J. Khan, Syed S. Ali, Aneela Shaheen, Rashida Qari, and Sanober Kehkashan 17.1 Introduction 488 17.2 The Drainage Basin 491 17.3 Evolution of the Indus River 492 17.4 Indus Water and Sediment Discharge 493 17.5 The Indus Delta 495 17.6 Submarine Indus System 499 17.7 Water Management 503 17.8 The Indus Dolphins 505 17.9 Environmental Changes 506 17.10 Conclusion 510 References 513 18 The Ganga River 521Indra B. Singh 18.1 Introduction 521 18.2 Hydrology 522 18.3 Water Quality 526 18.4 Material Transfer in the Ganga 527 18.5 Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Sediments 530 18.6 Heavy Metals and Pollutants in the Sediment 531 18.7 The Plain and the River 531 18.8 The Delta 533 18.9 A Summary of Current Geomorphic Processes 538 18.10 Quaternary Evolution of the Ganga 538 18.11 Utilization of the River and Associated Problems 542 Acknowledgements 546 References 546 19 Erosion and Weathering in the Brahmaputra River System 551Sunil K. Singh 19.1 Introduction 551 19.2 The Brahmaputra River System 552 19.3 Geology of the Basin 554 19.4 Hydrology 556 19.5 Floods in the Brahmaputra 557 19.6 Characteristics of the Brahmaputra Channel 562 19.7 Erosion and Weathering 562 19.8 Sediment Yield or Erosion Rates in the Various Zones 567 19.9 Chemical Weathering and Erosion 568 19.10 Bed Load and Weathering Intensity 572 19.11 Control of Physical and Chemical Erosion in the Brahmaputra Basin 572 19.12 Conclusion 574 References 574 20 The Jamuna-Brahmaputra River, Bangladesh 579James L. Best, Philip J. Ashworth, Erik Mosselman, Maminul H. Sarker, and Julie E. Roden 20.1 Background 579 20.2 Channel Scale Morphology and Recent Historical Changes in the Course of the Brahmaputra-Jamuna River 588 20.3 Bedform Types and Dynamics 595 20.4 Bifurcations, Offtakes, and Confluences 603 20.5 Floodplain Sedimentation 607 20.6 Sedimentology of the Jamuna River 611 20.7 Applied Geomorphology and Engineering in the Jamuna River 617 20.8 Summary: What Does the Future Hold? 628 Acknowledgements 630 References 631 21 The Ayeyarwady River 641Alexis Licht and Liviu Giosan 21.1 Introduction 641 21.2 The Ayeyarwady Drainage Basin 641 21.3 History of the Ayeyarwady 653 21.4 Looking Ahead 655 References 655 22 The Mekong River: Morphology, Evolution, and Management 661Avijit Gupta 22.1 Introduction 661 22.2 The Mekong Basin: Physical Characteristics 663 22.3 The River 669 22.4 The Mekong Over Time: The Geomorphic History 676 22.5 Erosion and Sediment Transfer 678 22.6 The Mekong and Its Basin: Resource and Management 679 22.7 Conclusion 684 Acknowledgements 684 References 684 23 Dynamic Hydrology and Geomorphology of the Yangtze River 687Zhongyuan Chen, Kaiqin Xu, and Masataka Watanabe 23.1 Basin Geology and Landforms 687 23.2 River Morphology 689 23.3 Storage and Transfer of Water and Sediment 691 23.4 Large-Scale River Management - Three Gorges Damand the Planned Water Transfer 700 Acknowledgements 702 References 702 Part III Measurement and Management 24 The Nile River: Geology, Hydrology, Hydraulic Society 704M. Gordon Wolman, Capucine Le Meur, and Robert F. Giegengack 24.1 Introduction 704 24.2 Physiography 705 24.3 Geologic...