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A group of international scientists studying China's Yellow River has created a new tool that could help officials better predict and prevent its all-too-frequent floods, which threaten as many as 80 million people. The tool--a formula to calculate sediment transport--may also be applied to studying the sustainability of eroding coastlines worldwide.
Known in Chinese as the Huanghe, the Yellow River is considered the cradle of Chinese civilization and is often called the "mother of China" for its nutrient-rich sediment, which benefits farmland along its banks. But its floods, which led to some of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history, have also earned it the name "China's sorrow."Image credit: Jeffrey Nittrouer
