Large-scale morphological changes and sediment budget of the Western Scheldt estuary 1955–2020: the impact of large-scale sediment management

In the Western Scheldt estuary, like in many estuaries, safe navigation, flood protection, and ecological targets require a balanced and sustainable sediment management. A thorough understanding of the morphodynamic functioning of the estuary and its response to changes in hydrodynamics (natural sediment transport) and large-scale interventions...

The Coastal Genesis 2 research programme: Outputs, Outcomes and Impact

The long-term sediment demand of the Dutch coast is integral to the current Dutch Coastal Flood and Erosion Risk Management policy. The Coastal Genesis 2 research programme was initiated to address the sustainability of this policy under sea level rise by focusing on key uncertainties in the conceptual model of the sediment demand of the Dutch...

Monitoring and modeling dispersal of a submerged nearshore berm at the mouth of the Columbia River, USA

A submerged, low-relief nearshore berm was constructed in the Pacific Ocean near the mouth of the Columbia River, USA, using 216,000 m³ of sediment dredged from the adjacent navigation channel. The material dredged from the navigation channel was placed on the northern flank of the ebb-tidal delta in water depths between 12 and 15...

Future sediment exchange between the Dutch Wadden Sea and North Sea Coast - Insights based on ASMITA modelling

The sediment exchange between the Dutch Wadden Sea and the North Sea coastal zone is of key importance to Dutch coastal management. Net sediment import from the coastal zone to the Wadden Sea results in coastal erosion which needs to be compensated through nourishments. At the same time net sediment import is the source of sediment for the...

Lagrangian sediment transport modelling as a tool for investigating Coastal connectivity

Estuaries and coasts can be conceptualized as connected networks of water and sediment fluxes. These dynamic geomorphic systems are governed by waves, tides, wind, and river input, and evolve according to complex nonlinear transport processes. To predict their evolution, we need to better understand the pathways that sediment takes from source...

Lagrangian sediment transport modelling as a tool for investigating coastal connectivity

Estuaries and coasts can be conceptualized as connected networks of water and sediment fluxes. These dynamic geomorphic systems are governed by waves, tides, wind, and river input, and evolve according to complex nonlinear transport processes. To predict their evolution, we need to better understand the pathways that sediment takes from source...

The contribution of sand and mud to infilling of tidal basins in response to a closure dam

Human interventions and climate change can heavily influence the large-scale morphological development of tidal basins. This has implications on sediment management strategies, as well as ecological and recreational purposes. Examples of heavily impacted tidal basins are those in the Western Dutch Wadden Sea. The closure of a large sub-basin...

Sediment Connectivity: A Framework for Analyzing Coastal Sediment Transport Pathways

Connectivity provides a framework for analyzing coastal sediment transport pathways, building on conceptual advances in graph theory from other scientific disciplines. Connectivity schematizes sediment pathways as a directed graph (i.e., a set of nodes and links). This study presents a novel application of graph theory and connectivity...

Understanding sediment bypassing processes through analysis of high-frequency observations of Ameland Inlet, the Netherlands

Ameland inlet is centrally located in the chain of West Frisian Islands (the Netherlands). A globally unique dataset of detailed bathymetric charts starting in the early 19th century, and high-resolution digital data since 1986 allows for detailed investigations of the ebb-tidal delta morphodynamics and sediment bypassing over a wide range of...

Sediment budget and morphological development of the Dutch Wadden Sea: Impact of accelerated sea-level rise and subsidence until 2100

The Wadden Sea is a unique coastal wetland containing an uninterrupted stretch of tidal flats that span a distance of nearly 500 km along the North Sea coast from the Netherlands to Denmark. The development of this system is under pressure of climate change and especially the associated acceleration in sea-level rise (SLR). Sustainable...

Connecting subtidal and subaerial sand transport pathways in the Texel inlet system

Potential transport pathways between the subtidal and subaerial part of tidal inlet systems are explored by means of a case study of Texel Inlet, The Netherlands. Based on a morphologic analysis of multi-annual, high-resolution bathymetric and topographic data sets we hypothesize that two mechanisms connect the subtidal and subaerial parts of...

Long-term interaction between the Dutch coast and the tidal basins