Monsoon sedimentation on the ‘abandoned’ tide-influenced Ganges–Brahmaputra delta plain

Abstract

Annual sediment delivery by the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers to the Bengal margin has kept pace with sea level rise since the mid Holocene, sustaining subaerial growth of the delta. However, the Sundarbans region of the tidal delta is disconnected from major distributary sources of sediment and is often thought to be sediment starved, eroding, and susceptible to the meter of sea level rise predicted for the 21st century. Despite these assumptions, direct sedimentation measurements on the tidal delta plain reveal widespread mean annualized accretion rates of ∼1.1 cm yr−1, although heterogeneous depositional patterns indicate that topography and internal creek networks influence local sediment distribution. Short-lived radioisotope inventories (7Be: t1/2 = 53.3 days) measured on the freshly accumulated sediments indicate that about ½ of the mass deposited on the lower delta was sourced directly from the seasonal flood pulse of the river; the remaining ½ is derived from older (≥1 yr) reworked sediments. Net sedimentation on this part of the delta traps ∼10% of annual Ganges–Brahmaputra sediment load, with accretion rates roughly equivalent to the mean regional rate of relative sea-level rise (RSLR) of ∼1.0 cm yr−1. If these sedimentation rates are representative of longer-term trends and subsidence rates remain stable over the next century, the lower delta plain may continue to maintain its elevation and stability despite documented mangrove retreat around its seaward edges.