The importance of combined tidal and meteorological forces for the flow and sediment transport on intertidal shoals
De Vet, P.L.M.; Van Prooijen, B.C.; Schrijvershof, R.A.; van der Werf, J.J.; Ysebaert, T.J.W.; Schrijver, M.C.; Wang, Z.B. (2018). The importance of combined tidal and meteorological forces for the flow and sediment transport on intertidal shoals. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface 123(10): 2464-2480. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jf004605 In: Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface. AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION: Washington. ISSN 2169-9003; e-ISSN 2169-9011, more |   |
| Authors | | Top | - De Vet, P.L.M., more
- Van Prooijen, B.C., more
- Schrijvershof, R.A.
- van der Werf, J.J., more
| - Ysebaert, T.J.W., more
- Schrijver, M.C.
- Wang, Z.B., more
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| Abstract | Estuarine intertidal areas are shaped by combined astronomical and meteorological forces.This paper reveals the relative importance of tide, surge, wind, and waves for the flow and sedimenttransport on large intertidal shoals. Results of an intensive field campaign have been used to validate anumerical model of the Roggenplaat intertidal shoal in the Eastern Scheldt Estuary, the Netherlands, inorder to identify and quantify the importance of each of the processes over time and space. We show thatits main tidal creeks are not the cause for the dominant direction of the net flow on the shoal. The tidal flowover the shoal is steered by the water level differences between the surrounding channels. Also during windevents, the tidal flow (enhanced by surge) is dominant in the creeks. In contrast, wind speeds of order 40times the typical tidal flow velocity are sufficient to completely alter the flow direction and magnitude onan intertidal shoal. This has significant consequences for the sediment transport patterns. Apart from thiswind-driven flow dominance during these events, the wind also increases the bed shear stress by waves.For the largest intertidal part of the Roggenplaat, only∼1–10% of the yearly transport results from the 50%least windy tides, even if the shoal is artificially lowered half the tidal range. This dominance of energeticmeteorological conditions in the transports matches with field observations, in which the migration of thecreeks and high parts of the shoal are in line with the predominant wind direction. |
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