In total, Arctic rivers carry about 4200 cubic kilometers of water per year into Arctic seas, along with about 221 million tonnes of sediment per year. The landscape determines the role of each particular river. Those crossing flat, frozen tundra generally carry relatively small amounts of sediment. The Mackenzie River, on the other hand, flows through a much steeper landscape, with less permafrost and with abundant surficial material that can be eroded. Consequently, it carries larger amounts of sediment.  © Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) www.amap.no

Back

The Arctic is changing, by Mark Nuttall. http://www.thearctic.is Copyright Stefansson Arctic Institute and individual authors ©2000 Developed in partnership with the EU Raphael Programme