River sediments are essential to building marshes and wetlands. When a river meets with a large body of water such as an ocean, the velocity of water decreases, so does its carrying capacity. This causes sediments to deposit at the intersection of river and ocean, forming lands. What happens when rivers are deprived of sediments? Dams around the world have kept sediments from flowing downstream to build marshes and wetlands. Now, with the rising sea level, the realization that marshes and wetlands act as natural barriers leads to calling for dam removal.
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