The State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University has recently launched the "Delta Database" as part of the "Mega-Delta Programme" of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). This marks the first batch of open data under the programme, and users can now access and download data through the Mega-Delta Database website (www.deltadatabase.tech).
Data related to the Danube, Indus, Ganges and Nile delta regions are currently available in the Mega-Delta Database, covering data sources in various fields such as hydrology and water resources, water and soil environmental quality, land use, and socioeconomic data. The database is characterized by multiple data types, long time spans and high data quality, which can reflect the natural and human characteristics of the delta region as well as the historical changes and trends over longer time scales in a comprehensive manner. The database is available for open sharing and subject to rigorous quality control measures, and can be used for further processing and analysis.
The database provides scientific research data crucial for the sustainable development of estuarine and deltaic regions, while also supplying indispensable data support for scientific research and management decisions in many fields such as climate change research, water resources management, ecological restoration and conservation, and land use planning. The database will be continuously updated and expanded aiming to cover major river deltas around the world.
The development of the Mega-Delta Database is supported by many authoritative research institutes all around the world. To protect the legal rights of the data providers, authorized data can only be used for non-profit scientific research and educational activities.
Mega-Delta Programme
On June 8, 2021, the Mega-Delta programme was listed as one of the first round of the 65 programmes endorsed under the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. River deltas are a critical coastal habitat, however, they are facing continuous threats such as increased erosion, flooding risk, and shrinking salt marshes and mangroves. This has become a global problem which requires international cooperation to find solutions. The Mega-Delta Programme will study the present status and threats facing 25 globally representative deltas, create methodologies for new blueprints including critical characteristics and the sustainability of the delta system and its capacity to support regional development for deltas having different physical processes and ecological and economic values. The overall objective of the programme is to support sustainable development in delta regions. So far three international projects affiliated to the Mega-Delta Programme have been endorsed by the UN Ocean decade. We expect more prospective projects to join.
More information: https://delta.ecnu.edu.cn/
Copy editor: Melody Zhang, Philip Nash
Editor: Yvaine Lyu
