The Ganges-Brahmaputra delta is more than 350 kilometers wide and the largest of its kind in the world. Deltas such as the Ganges-Brahmaputra are wetlands with incredibly important ecosystems located where river mouths or estuaries meet larger waterbodies. The wetlands absorb runoff from flooding storms and filter water as it makes its way into surrounding areas. Deltas also act as protective buffers between land and rough seas in coastal regions.

NASAs collects delta data that’s particularly good for studying their nature as coastal and fluvial landforms and their associated processes. Understanding the health and function of deltas are important for supporting marine and animal life, people living in coastal areas, and the cycles of biochemical processes in water as they face threats of disruption from human interaction and climate change.