Peak Water Levels Rise Less Than Mean Sea Level in Tidal Channels Subject to Depth Convergence by Deepening

Effects of sea-level rise (SLR) on future peak water levels in tidal deltas and estuaries are largely unknown, despite these areas being densely populated and at high risk of flooding. While the rates of SLR accelerate, many channels simultaneously experience channel deepening for navigation. With globally decreasing sediment supplies, most...

Adaptation timescales of estuarine systems to human interventions

Many estuaries and tidal basins are strongly influenced by various human interventions (land reclamations, infrastructure development, channel deepening, dredging and disposal of sediments). Such interventions lead to a range of hydrodynamic and morphological responses (a changing channel depth, tidal amplitude and/or suspended sediment...

Sediment Disposals in Estuarine Channels Alter the Eco-Morphology of Intertidal Flats

Dredging of navigation channels in estuaries affects estuarine morphology and ecosystems. In the Western Scheldt, a two-channel estuary in the Netherlands, the navigation channel is deepened and the sediment is relocated to other parts of the estuary. We analyzed the response of an intertidal flat to sediment disposals in its adjacent channel...

Multiple scales of suspendend sediment dynamics in a complex geometry estuary

Many estuaries are located in urbanized, highly engineered environments. Cohesive sediment plays an important role because of its affect on estuarine health and ecology. An important ecological parameter is the suspended sediment concentration (SSC) translated into turbidity levels and sediment budget. Veel estuaria zijn gelegen in...

A semi-analytical study on the residual transport of salinity and sediment trapping in well-mixed estuaries

Along-channel and cross-channel sediment transport in tidal estuaries is usually driven by tides, density gradients, Coriolis’s force, wind stress, channel curvature and bathymetric variations. Since the water motion is influenced by density-induced gravitational circulation which in turn affects the salinity distribution, the coupled water...

Wave attenuation by salt marsh vegetation

Salt marshes are a characteristic feature of estuaries and coastal seas. They are found in the upper coastal intertidal zones between land and water, which are regularly flooded by tides and surges. They are covered with salt-tolerant vegetation types, such as herbs and grasses. Sheltering from continuous intense hydrodynamic forcing by waves...

Impact of the depth-to-width ratio of periodically stratified tidal channels on the estuarine circulation

The dependency of the estuarine circulation on the depth-to-width ratio of a periodically, weakly stratified tidal estuary is systematically investigated here for the first time. Currents, salinity, and other properties are simulated by means of the General Estuarine Transport Model (GETM) in cross-sectional slice mode, applying a symmetric...

Advection of the salt wedge and evolution of the internal flow structure in the Rotterdam Waterway

An analysis of field measurements recorded over a tidal cycle in the Rotterdam Waterway is presented. These measurements are the first to elucidate the processes influencing the along-channel current structure and the excursion of the salt wedge in this estuary. The salt wedge structure remained stable throughout the measuring period. The...

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...

Modeling of channel patterns in short tidal basins

We model branching channel patterns in short tidal basins with two methods. A theoretical stability analysis leads to a relationship between the number of channels and physical parameters of the tidal system. The analysis reveals that width and spacing of the channels should decrease as the slope of the bottom profile and the Shields parameter...

Morphodynamic modelling of estuarine channel-shoal systems

In this research, the initial formation and long-term evolution of channel-shoal patterns in schematised basins is simulated using a model based on the software package Delft3D. The resulting channel-shoal patterns are validated with field observations, among which the Western Scheldt estuary. This has proven that a complex model is able to...

Effect of tidal resonance on the morphology of Wadden and Estuaries

Contains basic paper plus background supplements. Areas like the Western Wadden area have a length of approximately 1/4 of a tidal wave length. Therefore tidal motion is sensible for resonance. It is investigated, under which circumstances morphological instabilities may occur. Instabilities are defined in this way, that small depth increments...