Modelling sediment and propagule pathways to improve mangrove rehabilitation: A case study of the pilot project in Demak, Indonesia

Mangrove forests are important (sub)tropical intertidal ecosystems providing coastal protection and other ecosystem services like carbon storage and biodiversity. In view of the loss of these forests many rehabilitation projects have started, but unfortunately these efforts often fail. A main cause for coastal erosion is a disrupted (fine)...

The Evolution of Plume Fronts in the Rhine Region of Freshwater Influence

The Rhine region of freshwater influence (ROFI) is strongly stratified, rotational, relatively shallow and has large tides, resulting in a dynamic field of fronts that are formed by multiple processes. We use a 3D numerical model to obtain a conceptual picture of the frontal structure and the processes responsible for generating this multiple...

Observations of Multiple Internal Wave Packets in a Tidal River Plume

Remotely sensed images document the occurrence of multiple packets of internal solitary waves (ISWs) in the Rhine River plume at the same time. We use a combination of field observations, and non-hydrostatic and hydrostatic modeling to understand the processes that lead to the generation and retention of multiple ISW packets within the Rhine...

Analysis of the Interannual Variability of the Amazon-Orinoco River Plume: and its effects on Sea Surface Temperatures in the Caribbean Sea

TheAmazon-Orinoco river plume is a buoyant freshwater lens of 1.2 × 10⁶km², which has been traced over 2000 km from the Amazon river mouthinto the Caribbean Sea and along the Lesser Antilles. The river plume iswarmer than the surrounding open-ocean waters, with temperaturedifferences up to 1.5 ∘C caused...

Coastal protection by a small scale river plume against oil spills in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill damaged some beaches along the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGoMex) coast more than others, possibly related to the presence of natural protection mechanisms. In order to optimize future mitigation efforts to protect the coast, these mechanisms should be understood. The NGoMex coast is characterized by relatively...

Estimating the Cross-Shelf Export of Riverine Materials: Part 1. General Relationships From an Idealized Numerical Model

Rivers deliver large amounts of terrestrially derived materials (such as nutrients, sediments, and pollutants) to the coastal ocean, but a global quantification of the fate of this delivery is lacking. Nutrients can accumulate on shelves, potentially driving high levels of primary production with negative consequences like hypoxia, or be...

Estimating the Cross-Shelf Export of Riverine Materials: Part 2. Estimates of Global Freshwater and Nutrient Export

Rivers deliver large amounts of fresh water, nutrients, and other terrestrially derived materials to the coastal ocean. Where inputs accumulate on the shelf, harmful effects such as hypoxia and eutrophication can result. In contrast, where export to the open ocean is efficient riverine inputs contribute to global biogeochemical budgets....

The Influence of Tide and Wind on the Propagation of Fronts in a Shallow River Plume

In this study we used field data and radar images to investigate the influence of winds and tides on the propagation of tidal plume fronts. The measurements were collected in a shallow shelf region off the Dutch coast, 10 km north of the Rhine River mouth, and they clearly show the passage of distinct freshwater lenses and associated fronts...

Cross-shore transport of nearshore sediment by river plume frontal pumping

We present a new mechanism for cross-shore transport of fine sediment from the nearshore to the inner shelf resulting from the onshore propagation of river plume fronts. Onshore frontal propagation is observed in moorings and radar images, which show that fronts penetrate onshore through the nearshore and surf zone, almost to the waterline....

The impact of storms and stratification on sediment transport in the Rhine region of freshwater influence

We present measurements of along and across-shore sediment transport in a region of the Dutch coast 10 km north of the Rhine River mouth. This section of the coast is characterized by strong vertical density stratification because it is within the midfield region of the Rhine region of freshwater influence, where processes typical of the far...

Simultaneous measurements of tidal straining and advection at two parallel transects far downstream in the Rhine ROFI

This study identifies and unravels the processes that lead to stratification and destratification in the far field of a Region of Freshwater Influence (ROFI). We present measurements that are novel for two reasons: (1) measurements were carried out with two vessels that sailed simultaneously over two cross-shore transects; (2) the measurements...

Hydrodynamics in the mid-field plume region of the Rhine ROFI

River plumes, also regions of freshwater influence , are important features to understand because of their impact on the current structure, stratification and the transport of fine sediments, nutrients and contaminants. One important river plume is the Rhine ROFI. Prior studies have sought to understand far-field dynamics where cross-shore...

Modelling the wind-driven motions in the Rhine ROFI

This Master Thesis presents a numerical model analysis of the response of the Rhine ROFI on wind direction and speed. The aim of this study is to gain a further insight in the physical processes of the Rhine ROFI. Previous work on the Rhine ROFI focused mostly on tidal effects (straining and mixing) and inertial motions (earth rotation). Other...

On the interaction between tides and stratification in the Rhine Region of Freshwater Influence

Spatial and temporal variability of the Ba Lat River plume

Survey of data regarding the sediment plume of the Ba Lat river (branch of the Red River, Vietnam). Data collected in 2000. Contains detailed datasets. [blz 2 van dit rapport ontbreekt.]