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Concerns about data linking delta land gain to human action | Nature
Source: nature.com
Article summary:
1. The definition of deltas used in a recent study is unconventional and does not include the sediment-dispersal role of rivers, waves, and tides.
2. Automatically generated ‘buffer’ areas are used to identify land change from global spatial data, which may lead to misidentification of features as deltas.
3. A random check reveals that only around 50% of the inventoried features may be defined as deltas.
Article analysis:
The article raises concerns about the trustworthiness and reliability of a recent study that reported human impacts on the morphology of deltas at the global scale has led to a net gain in land area1. The authors suggest that an unconventional definition of deltas, miscellaneous coastal features unduly characterized as deltas and misidentified changes in delta area have led to inaccurate statistical analyses in the study1 and that a recently published correction2 does not address their concerns. They call for rigorous verification and analysis of large environmental datasets.
The article points out potential biases in the study due to its unconventional definition of deltas, which does not include sediment-dispersal role of rivers, waves, and tides or sedimentation pathways that interlink connected upbuilding and outbuilding components of deltas. Additionally, it notes that automatically generated ‘buffer’ areas used to identify land change from global spatial data may lead to misidentification of features as deltas. A random check reveals that only around 50% of the inventoried features may be defined as deltas.
The article also raises questions about whether possible risks are noted in the study, whether both sides are presented equally, if there is any promotional content or partiality present in the study's conclusions, if there is any missing evidence for claims made or unexplored counterarguments present in the study's findings. It also calls for further verification and analysis of large environmental datasets before drawing conclusions about human impacts on delta land gain at a global scale.