The 1996 Rechanneling A Huang He Delta, China story
Aquaculture
Cities
Coasts
Water
While the river’s course and delta have changed naturally over time, people have also caused a lot of change. More water upstream is being used for irrigation. Dams and reservoirs on the river and its tributaries reduce the amount of sediment that reaches the delta. Seawalls have been built to reclaim land for the oil industry and for shrimp and salt farms. Additionally, levees now keep the main river from branching out at the delta.
People have caused the latest shift in the river that has affected the delta’s shape. In 1996, Chinese engineers blocked the main channel, making the river empty into the sea to the northeast instead of directly to the east. We see in the 1999 image where the new peninsula has formed from this shift, and where the old peninsula is beginning to retreat.
Location
June 2, 1976, Landsat 2 (path/row 130/34) — close up of the Huang He Delta, China
May 27, 1979, Landsat 3 (path/row 130/34) — close up of the Huang He Delta, China
June 7, 1984, Landsat 2 (path/row 121/34) — close up of the Huang He Delta, China
Sept. 23, 1991, Landsat 5 (path/row 121/34) — close up of the Huang He Delta, China
Oct. 7, 1999, Landsat 7 (path/row 121/34) — close up of the Huang He Delta, China
Sept. 2, 2001, Landsat 5 (path/row 121/34) — close up of the Huang He Delta, China
Sept. 11, 2010, Landsat 5 (path/row 121/34) — close up of the Huang He Delta, China
Oct. 5, 2013, Landsat 8 (path/row 121/34) — close up of the Huang He Delta, China
Oct. 27, 2015, Landsat 8 (path/row 121/34) — close up of the Huang He Delta, China
Sep. 30, 2017, Landsat 8 (path/row 121/34) — close up of Huang He Delta, China
Oct. 3, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 121/34) — close up of the Huang He Delta, China
Oct. 24, 2020, Landsat 8 (path/row 121/34) — close up of the Huang He Delta, China
Huang He Delta, China Additional Imagery & Stories
Delta Shifts
The Huang He Delta has historically built up over a broad area because of its wandering ways. The river’s course in its lower reaches has shifted 11 t...
Dongying
The city of Dongying is prominent in the 2010 image. Its current population is over 1.2 million. But you won’t find the city in the 1976 or 1979 image...