Resilience of tidal flats to rising sea levels: sediment dynamics
Maithani, P. (2019). Resilience of tidal flats to rising sea levels: sediment dynamics. Thesis. NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research: Yerseke. 46 pp.
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| Abstract |
The impacts of rising sea levels on tidals flats and salt marshes can be determined by studying dynamics on tidal flats. Enhanced wave pressure from sea level rise causes more erosion and changes in the structure of the sediment by applying increased hydrodynamic force on the sediment. Control and treatment plots were setup at two locations in the Western Scheldt estuary to determine the impacts of SLR on tidal flats. Treatment plots were raked to mimic enhanced hydrodynamic forces. Sediment samples were subsequently collected and analyzed to determine changes in the characteristics of the sediment and a flume test done to test sediment stability. Overall, the sampling plots showed resilience to the effects of sea level rise. Sediment characteristics were unaffected at the surface but showed changes in the deeper layers of the sediment. The flume test determined that only the plot at the highest elevation has undergone structural change. |
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