Particle models for sand transport in water: analysis and simulations

This thesis describes how the simple random walk particle model can be extended to account for sand deposition and suspension, and for particle interaction: clumping together and falling apart. The extended models are analyzed, and the corresponding partial differential equations are derived. These equations are compared to the currently used...

Electronic markers for geological research: Tag Design

In this thesis, the implementation of a passive, chipless, frequency coded Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tag for bedload transport studies is proposed. The proposed tag will be deployed in the semi-arid Río Colorado river, Bolivia with the aim to develop quantitative sediment transport models that relate transport to grain size. The...

Multi-proxy analysis of the sedimentary and climatic response to the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum in the Hengyang Basin, Hunan Province, China

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was a time of relatively abrupt climate change with intensive atmospheric greenhouse warming of 5 - 8˚C and is regarded as quasi-analogous for the modern anthropogenically-induced global warming. It therefore attracted considerable attention from geologists over the last decades. The PETM occurred 56...

Nourishment strategies for the Ameland Inlet

Sea level rise poses challenges to the tidal inlet systems of the Wadden Sea, including the barrier islands. If no measures are taken, the shorelines of the islands will retreat and the basins may drown. In the Ameland Inlet, the Boschplaat at the eastern tip of Ameland and Bornrif at the western tip of Terschelling are currently shrinking. <br/...

Improving XBeach non-hydrostatic model predictions of the swash morphodynamics of intermediate-reflective beaches

A very common observation is the episodic erosion of beaches during storms and the slow recovery (accretion) afterwards (Yates et al. 2009). Morphodynamic models parameterize physical processes in order to relate the fluid motions (hydrodynamics) to the bed level changes (morphodynamics) over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Despite...

Further analysis of sand concentration distributions based on a diffusion concept

Morphological changes of coastal areas are caused by sediment transport. Sediment transport is one of the most important subjects in coastal engineering research. Various models are available to predict the sediment transport rate as a function of wave height, current velocity and grain size. The reliability of these models is unknown, because...

Evaluation of the Morphological and Ecological Response to a Conceptual Artificial Bypass System at IJmuiden Port

This thesis explores the potential of a fixed artificial bypass system for a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to coastal management in IJmuiden. The presence of the IJmuiden Port disrupts the natural processes, causing significant morphological changes to the coastal area. Current management practices require frequent dredging and...

Aeolian Sediment Transport at the Hondsbossche Dunes

In 2014-2015 the coastal stretch between Petten and Camperduin was strengthened by using 35 million m3 of sand. At the seaward side of the Hondbossche & Pettermer sea defence a beach and dune system was built which is called the ‘Hondsbossche Dunes’. The old sea dike has disappeared behind the new dunes and is no longer an active part of the...

Numerical Modelling of Beach Recovery Following a Storm Event: A Hybrid Behavioural / Process-Based Approach

The present thesis describes the development of a hybrid behavioural / process-based and wave-averaged model (XBeach Surfbeat) that successfully predicts the recovery of the subaerial beach at Narrabeen Beach, Australia, following a severe storm erosion in April 2015. Two model innovations were developed. Firstly, a behavioural model was...