Developing a long-term management strategy to prepare the Dutch coast for the future, editorial of the VSI future Dutch coast

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...

Understanding meso-scale processes at a mixed-energy tidal inlet: Ameland Inlet, the Netherlands – Implications for coastal maintenance

For successful and sustainable management of barrier islands, a thorough understanding of the ebb-tidal delta dynamics and interactions with the adjacent shorelines are of the utmost importance. Such understanding requires detailed observations and interpretations of the morphodynamics of smaller-scale features such as the individual channels...

A novel approach to mapping ebb-tidal delta morphodynamics and stratigraphy

Ebb tidal deltas (ETDs) are highly dynamic features of sandy coastal systems, and coastal management concerns (e.g., nourishment and navigation) present a pressing need to better describe and quantify their evolution. Here we propose two techniques for leveraging the availability of high-resolution bathymetric surveys to generate new insights...

Development of intertidal flats in the Dutch Wadden Sea in response to a rising sea level: Spatial differentiation and sensitivity to the rate of sea level rise

The Wadden Sea is a unique intertidal wetland area, forming an important hub for migratory water birds. A feared effect of accelerated sea-level rise (SLR) is the gradual loss or even disappearance of the ecologically valuable intertidal flats. To date, the effect of SLR on the time-evolution of the intertidal areas in the Dutch Wadden Sea...

Future Response of the Wadden Sea Tidal Basins to Relative Sea-Level rise—An Aggregated Modelling Approach

Climate change, and especially the associated acceleration of sea-level rise, forms a serious threat to the Wadden Sea. The Wadden Sea contains the world’s largest coherent intertidal flat area and it is known that these flats can drown when the rate of sea-level rise exceeds a critical limit. As a result, the intertidal flats would then be...

Impact of Coral Reef Mining Pits on Nearshore Hydrodynamics and Wave Runup During Extreme Wave Events

Small island developing states are among the most vulnerable areas to the impact of natural hazards and climate change. Flooding due to storm surges and extreme waves, coastal erosion, and salinization of freshwater lenses are already a serious threat and could lead to irreversible consequences in the coming decades. Reef flat mining is one...

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...

Quantified and applied sea-bed dynamics of the Netherlands Continental Shelf and the Wadden Sea

Sedimentary coasts and shallow-sea beds may be dynamic. The large-scaled spatial variation in these dynamics and the smaller-scaled behaviour of individual marine bedforms are largely unknown. Sea-bed dynamics are relevant for the safety of shipping, and therefore for monitoring strategies, and for offshore engineering projects and...

Sediment- and morphodynamics of shoreface nourishments along the North-Holland coast

The Dutch coastal maintenance policy which was implemented in 1990 aims at fighting structural erosion by nourishing sand. Initially, the beaches were nourished. The lifetime of these beach nourishments turned out to be relatively short (~2 yrs), especially at identified erosion ‘hotspots’ along the North-Holland coast (e.g. Egmond aan Zee)....

Morphodynamic development and sediment budget of the Dutch Wadden Sea over the last century

The availability of nearly 100 years of bathymetric measurements allows the analysis of the morphodynamic evolution of the Dutch Wadden Sea under rising sea level and increasing human constraint. The historically observed roll-over mechanisms of landward barrier and coastline retreat cannot be sustained naturally due to numerous erosion control...

Levee development along tidal channels

Levees are small elevation ridges found on the edge between channels and shoals. They are known to develop along river channels during floods and along channels in alluvial deep water fans. Levees in tidal environments such as the Waddenzee are less pronounced (with a typical height in the order of 10 cm) and may be recognized by the fact that...

Richtlijnen Onderwatersuppleties

Hieronder volgen richtlijnen voor het ontwerpen van onderwateren strandsuppleties. Het uitgangspunt voor deze richtlijnen is een optimaal onderhoud van het kustprofiel. Indien andere doelstellingen voorop staan resulteert dit in andere richtlijnen. Deze richtlijnen zijn gebaseerd op de huidige inzichten in het functioneren van suppleties. Deze...

Delft Cluster - coasts: Final report

Eco-morphodynamics of the seafloor

Reconstructie van de ontwikkeling van de Hollandse kust in de laatste 2500 jaar

Onderzoekskader In het kader van het KUST*2000 programma van Rijkswaterstaat wordt onder meer onderzoek gedaan naar de grootschalige en lange-termijn ontwikkeling van de Nederlandse kust. Een goed begrip van de lange-termijn ontwikkeling van onze huidige kust in het verleden is essentieel voor het inzicht in de gevolgen van grootschalige...