Land Reclamation Controls on an Estuarine Regime Shift from a Multichannel to Single Channel Configuration

Deltaic intertidal areas disappear worldwide. This impacts delta morphology, because the extent and physiological character of the tidal floodplains control the tidal regime and, as a result, residual sediment transport patterns. Extensive reclamation of former tidal flats, effectively changing the ratio of channel volume to intertidal storage...

Tidal Response to Land Reclamation in Single- and Multichannel Estuarine Systems

Intertidal areas play a crucial role in controlling tidal hydrodynamics and morphodynamics in estuaries and tidal inlets. As a consequence, widespread land reclamation of the intertidal zone has led to alterations in tidal dynamics and the associated morphodynamics of estuaries worldwide. Comparatively little research has focussed on the impact...

The Importance of Wind-induced Sediment Fluxes on Tidal Flats

Port maintenance and nature preservation are two often conflicting aspects of coastal management. Within a Pilot Project in the Western Wadden Sea (the Netherlands - see Figure1a) we test a win-win solution that could reduce harbour siltation while simultaneously stimulate saltmarsh development.<br/>For this purpose, fine material, dredged in...

An efficient consolidation model for morphodynamic simulations in low SPM-environments

This paper presents a fast consolidation model suitable for long-term morphodynamic simulations. This model is applicable for muddy systems where sedimentation rates are smaller than consolidation rates, assuming quasi-equilibrium of the consolidating bed. It compares to the consolidation model developed by Sanford (2008). However, in that model...

Regime shifts in a D3D schematized Scheldt model: recent progress

The Ems and Loire evolved into hyper-turbid estuaries in the course of the 20th<br/>century. Winterwerp et al. (2013 a, b) argued that narrowing and deepening of these<br/>rivers induced a regime shift towards these hyper-turbid conditions. This regime<br/>shift was presumed to be driven by a positive feed-back between tidal<br/>amplification,...

Sediment trapping in the Zeebrugge Coastal Turbidity Maximum

The mechanisms leading to the formation and maintenance of a Coastal Turbidity Maximum (CTM) along the Belgian coastline was investigated using a complex 3D numerical model. Interpretation of model results suggests that the sediment concentration in this CTM may have strongly increased as a result of human interventions in the 1980’s. The large...