Long-Term Sedimentation Rates and Patterns of Alluvial Ridge Basins (Esteros) of the Rio Grande Delta (TX, United States of America)

Author

Kynan Joseph Rutan, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Date of Award

12-1-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Ocean, Coastal, and Earth Sciences

First Advisor

Tian Y. Dong

Second Advisor

Juan L. Gonzalez

Third Advisor

Jongsun Kim

Abstract

Little is known about the century-scale sedimentation rates and patterns of Alluvial Ridge basins within river deltas, especially in the Rio Grande Delta (RGD). To better constrain this, 22 cores were collected in the Bahia Grande Complex (BGC) and analyzed for grain size, organic content, age dates, and elemental composition.

Results show that grain size and sedimentation rates decrease from an artificial inlet to the basin interior, with elevated sedimentation in the south. Also, human activities, such as the construction of the Brownsville shipping channel in the 1930s, altered sedimentation dynamics in the basin by blocking natural inlets and leading to the gradual drying of the BGC over ~70 years. Re-flooding of the BGC via artificial channels has changed sedimentation patterns basin-wide by increasing sedimentation rates in the southern basin up to 5-fold. This study improves our understanding of RGD’s land-building processes, informing restoration practices in the region.

Comments

Copyright 2025 Kynan J. Rutan. All Rights Reserved. https://proquest.com/docview/3292558987

Recommended Citation

Rutan, K. J. (2025). Long-Term Sedimentation Rates and Patterns of Alluvial Ridge Basins (Esteros) of the Rio Grande Delta (TX, United States of America) [Master's thesis, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley]. ScholarWorks @ UTRGV. https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/etd/1847