Print Email Facebook Twitter Reclamation of Tidal Flats Within Tidal Basins Alters Centennial Morphodynamic Adaptation to Sea-Level Rise Title Reclamation of Tidal Flats Within Tidal Basins Alters Centennial Morphodynamic Adaptation to Sea-Level Rise Author Guo, Leicheng (Shanghai Estuarine and Coastal Science Research Center) Zhu, C. (TU Delft Coastal Engineering; Shanghai Estuarine and Coastal Science Research Center) Xu, Fan (Shanghai Estuarine and Coastal Science Research Center) Xie, Weiming (Shanghai Estuarine and Coastal Science Research Center) van der Wegen, Mick (IHE Delft Institute for Water Education; Deltares) Townend, Ian (University of Southampton) Wang, Zhengbing (TU Delft Coastal Engineering; Deltares) He, Qing (Shanghai Estuarine and Coastal Science Research Center) Date 2022 Abstract Reclamation of low-lying tidal flats and floodplains adjacent to present shorelines has been implemented worldwide for both coastal defense and development. While it is technically feasible to monitor the short-term impact of tidal flat embankments, it is challenging to identify long-term and cumulative morphodynamic impact, particularly considering centennial sea-level rise (SLR). In this study, we construct a process-based hydro-morphodynamic model for a schematized tidal basin and examine its morphodynamic evolution under the combined influence of SLR and tidal flat embankments. We see that rising sea levels lead to inundation of low-lying floodplains just above high water, creating new intertidal flats that mitigate the drowning impact of SLR. This mitigation effect is lost if the low-lying floodplains and tidal flats are reclaimed, preventing any shoreline migration under SLR. Removing a large portion of intertidal flats within the tidal basin induces significant changes in basin hypsometry and potentially, a reversal of flood/ebb dominance. The resulting hydro-morphodynamic impact of large-scale tidal flat embankment is more significant than SLR at a centennial time scale. This suggests a need for much greater management awareness regarding the cumulative impact of human activities. These findings imply that allowing lateral shoreline migration under SLR sustains tidal basin's inherent morphodynamic buffering capacity, whereas reclaiming tidal flats significantly alters hydro-morphodynamic adaptation at the decadal to centennial time scales. It highlights the importance of conserving low-lying floodplains and tidal flats in tide-dominated systems to counteract the drowning impact of SLR. Subject embankmentmorphodynamic modelingsea-level risetidal basin To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:a18267d7-1894-40e7-9997-19154b2f525c DOI https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006556 Embargo date 2022-12-17 ISSN 2169-9003 Source Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 127 (6) Bibliographical note Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public. Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2022 Leicheng Guo, C. Zhu, Fan Xu, Weiming Xie, Mick van der Wegen, Ian Townend, Zhengbing Wang, Qing He Files PDF JGR_Earth_Surface_2022_Gu ... tation.pdf 11.34 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:a18267d7-1894-40e7-9997-19154b2f525c/datastream/OBJ/view