Seasonal variability in M2 and M4 tidal constituents and its implications for the coastal residual sediment transport

We use an observational data set of tidal gauges in the North Sea to investigate the annual cycle of the M2 and M4 amplitudes and phases. The sea surface elevation amplitude of the M2 can vary by 8–10% and the M4 amplitude by 12–30% over the course of the year, with larger amplitudes in summer. The annual phase variations are in the range of 3...

Effect of bottom stress formulation on modelled flow and turbidity maxima in cross-sections of tide-dominated estuaries

A three-dimensional numerical model with a prognostic salinity field is used to investigate the effect of a partial slip bottom boundary condition on lateral flow and sediment distribution in a transect of a tidally dominated channel. The transect has a symmetrical Gaussian cross-channel bottom profile. For a deep, well-mixed, tidally dominated...

Modeling equilibrium bed profiles of short tidal embayments: On the effect of the vertical distribution of suspended sediment and the influence of the boundary conditions

In many tidal embayments, bottom patterns, such as the channel-shoal systems of the Wadden Sea, are observed. To gain understanding of the mechanisms that result in these bottom patterns, an idealized model is developed and analyzed for short tidal embayments. In this model, the water motion is described by the depth- and width-averaged shallow...