Net sediment transport by tidal asymmetry in the hyper-turbid Ems River

Assessment of the effects of the Zuider Sea closure on the hydrodynamics of the Wadden Sea inlets

Large hydrodynamic and morphodynamic changes have taken place in the western Dutch Wadden Sea due to the closure of the Zuider Sea in the early 1930s. Hydrodynamic simulations for three situations, viz. just before the closure, just after the closure and at present, have been carried out in order to investigate the hydrodynamic changes since the...

Modeling estuarine morphodynamics under combined river and tidal forcing

Estuarine morphodynamics are of broad importance to estuaries’ functions related to navigation, human settlement and ecosystems. Inspired by the Yangtze River estuary (YRE), this study aims to explore the impact of river discharge, tides and their interaction on long-term estuarine morphodynamics. Use is made of 1D and 2D process-based models....

Fine sediment transport by tidal asymmetry in the high-concentrated Ems River: Indications for a regime shift in response to channel deepening

This paper describes an analysis of the observed up-river transport of fine sediments in the Ems River, Germany/Netherlands, using a 1DV POINT MODEL, accounting for turbulence-induced flocculation and sediment-induced buoyancy destruction. From this analysis, it is inferred that the net up-river transport is mainly due to an asymmetry in...

The effect of tidal asymmetry and temporal settling lag on sediment trapping in tidal estuaries

Over decades and centuries, the mean depth of estuaries changes due to sea-level rise, land subsidence, infilling, and dredging projects. These processes produce changes in relative roughness (friction) and mixing, resulting in fundamental changes in the characteristics of the horizontal (velocity) and vertical tides (sea surface elevation) and...

Fine sediment transport into the hyperturbid lower Ems River: The role of channel deepening and sediment-induced drag reduction

Deepening of estuarine tidal channels often leads to tidal amplification and increasing fine sediment import. Increasing fine sediment import, in turn, may lower the hydraulic drag (due to a smoother muddy bed and/or sediment-induced damping of turbulence), and therefore, further strengthen tidal amplification, setting in motion a process in...

Impact of estuarine convergence on residual circulation in tidally energetic estuaries and inlets

Estuarine convergence (landward reduction of width and/or depth) is known to have the potential to significantly enhance estuarine circulation, a result theoretically derived under the assumption of constant eddy viscosity. Recent studies of longitudinally uniform energetic tidal channels indicate that tidal straining, a process driven by...

Feedback Effects of Sediment Suspensions on Transport Mechanisms in an Estuarine Turbidity Maximum

The mechanisms controlling the formation of an estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) in estuaries have been extensively investigated, but one aspect that has received much less scientific attention is the role of high suspended sediment concentrations in combination with tidal asymmetry in ETM formation. Particularly in highly turbid estuaries,...

Quantification of Tidal Asymmetry and Its Nonstationary Variations

Tidal wave deformation and tidal asymmetry widely occur in tidal estuaries and lagoons. Tidal asymmetry has been intensively studied because of its controlling role on residual sediment transport and large‐scale morphological evolution. There are several methods available to characterize tidal asymmetry prompting the need for an overview of...

On the stability relations between tidal asymmetry and morphologies of tidal basins and estuaries

Simple stability relationships are practically useful to provide a rapid assessment of coastal and estuarine landforms in response to human interventions and long‐term climate change. In this contribution, we review a variety of simple stability relationships which are based on the analysis of tidal asymmetry (shortened to “TA”). Most of the...

Tidal asymmetry and residual sediment transport in estuaries

Theoretical study on tidal asymmetry and application to the Westerschelde estuary.