Distinctive sedimentary processes on two contrasting tidal flats of the Yellow River Delta

Coastal tidal flats provide valuable ecosystems, but are highly sensitive to tidal dynamics, sea-level rise, and human activities. Tidal inundation depth and frequency are known to affect tidal flat morphodynamics. However, the causes, processes and extent remain uncertain, particularly given the associated changes in sediment availability. In...

Sediment Pathways on Ebb-Tidal Deltas: New Tools and Techniques for Analysis

In an era of rising seas and other challenges posed by climate change, coastal regions like the Netherlands are facing ever graver threats. Strategic sand nourishments could mitigate the threat of coastal erosion and sea level rise on barrier island coasts while limiting ecological impacts. However, insufficient knowledge of sediment transport...

Lateral Flows and Sediment Dynamics in a Large Engineered Estuary

Estuaries are partially enclosed water bodies where river water mixes with sea water. Estuaries provide important ecological functions which are strongly regulated by estuarine hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics, and also by human interventions. Sustainable management of such systems therefore requires a thorough understanding of the interplay...

The Importance of Combined Tidal and Meteorological Forces for the Flow and Sediment Transport on Intertidal Shoals

Estuarine intertidal areas are shaped by combined astronomical and meteorological forces. This paper reveals the relative importance of tide, surge, wind, and waves for the flow and sediment transport on large intertidal shoals. Results of an intensive field campaign have been used to validate a numerical model of the Roggenplaat intertidal...

How tides and waves enhance aeolian sediment transport at the sand motor mega-nourishment

Expanding knowledge concerning the close entanglement between subtidal and subaerial processes in coastal environments initiated the development of the open-source Windsurf modeling framework that enables us to simulate<br/>multi-fraction sediment transport due to subtidal and subaerial processes simultaneously. The Windsurf framework couples...

Hydrodynamic Drivers of Sediment Transport Across a Fringing Reef

Coral reefs are highly valuable ecosystems, which are under an increasing number of environmental pressures. Sedimentation and sediment transport patterns are among key physical drivers of coral reefs, so it is important to improve our understanding of these poorly studied dynamics on reefs. To this purpose, flume experiments were performed on a...

The influence of hydrodynamic forcing on sediment transport pathways and shoreline evolution in a coral reef environment

Macrophytes in estuarine gradients: Flow through flexible vegetation

Aquatic plants –or macrophytes- are an important part of coastal, estuarine and freshwater ecosystems worldwide, both from an ecological and an engineering viewpoint. Their meadows provide a wide range of ecosystem services: forming a physical protection of the shoreline, enhancing water quality and harbouring many other organisms. Unfortunately...

Lateral entrapment of sediment in tidal estuaries: An idealized model study

Two physical mechanisms leading to lateral accumulation of sediment in tidally dominated estuaries are investigated, involving Coriolis forcing and lateral density gradients. An idealized model is used that consists of the three?dimensional shallow water equations and sediment mass balance. Conditions are assumed to be uniform in the along...

Procesbeschrijvende modellering van de waterkwaliteit van de zuidnederlandse noordzeekust