Sediment deficit and morphological change of the Rhine–Meuse river mouth attributed to multi-millennial anthropogenic impacts

Cox, Jana; Leuven, Jasper R. F. W.; Pierik, HJ; Egmond, Marco van; Kleinhans, M. G.

doi:10.1016/j.csr.2022.104766

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…(2021) and Cox et al. (2022), and as reported here, many estuaries and deltas in Europe which are home to ports currently undertake extensive dredging, including the Rhine‐Meuse (the Netherlands), Western Scheldt (the Netherlands), Ems‐Dollard (the Netherlands/Germany) Seine (France), Loire (France), Elbe (Germany) and Danube delta (Romania). They also have a typically small area and low river sediment flux (see Figure 8 and Data Set S1).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

“…Nearly all major urban deltas are diked and embanked (O’Dell et al., 2021). Their river courses have been fixed for tens or hundreds of years (Cox et al., 2022) and are no longer free to laterally expand and migrate. However, the experiments require lateral expansion to accurately recreate sediment transport (see (Braat et al., 2019; Kleinhans et al., 2017; Leuven, Braat, et al., 2018)).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The plains surrounding estuaries and deltas are rapidly urbanizing, leading to a variety of economic, environmental and ecological questions and concerns regarding long‐term sustainability and management of these human‐influenced systems (Loucks, 2019). Width is dramatically reduced as floodplains are embanked and intertidal areas are reclaimed, to be used for housing, ports, harbors and development of urban centers (Cox et al., 2022). Meanwhile, flood protection structures such as dikes, groynes and flood barriers are often implemented, redirecting flow and altering sediment transport regimes (O’Dell et al., 2021; Ten Brinke et al., 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Sea‐Level Rise on Dredging and Dredged Estuary Morphology

et al. 2022

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Estuaries are bodies of water with one or more open connections to the sea (Leuven et al., 2016) which develop at the land-sea interface due to delivery of sediment from both rivers and the coast (Nicholls et al., 2020). Estuaries that have developed naturally tend to have a converging planform shape, often with mutually evasive ebb and flood channels which create a multi-channel system (Jeuken & Wang, 2010;van Dijk et al., 2021;Weisscher et al., 2022). They have several intertidal shoals and bars, particularly at their widest points (Leuven et al., 2016), and extensive floodplains (van Veen et al., 2005). However, many estuaries globally are now changing to a new enforced equilibrium as they are increasingly altered by human activities. The plains surrounding estuaries and deltas are rapidly urbanizing, leading to a variety of economic, environmental and ecological questions and concerns regarding long-term sustainability and management of these human-influenced systems (Loucks, 2019). Width is dramatically reduced as floodplains are embanked and intertidal areas are reclaimed, to be used for housing, ports, harbors and development of urban centers (Cox et al., 2022). Meanwhile, flood protection structures such as dikes, groynes and flood barriers are often implemented, redirecting flow and altering sediment transport regimes (O'Dell et al., 2021;Ten Brinke et al., 2004). Estuary depth is also commonly increased by dredging at a variety of scales.Estuaries are commonly identified as hotspots for climate risk (Hill et al., 2020) because they are uniquely threatened by both sea-level rise (SLR) and river basin-wide climate changes (e.g., glacial melt, temperature

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Sea‐Level Rise on Dredging and Dredged Estuary Morphology

et al. 2022

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“…The RMD hosts a deepened channel system where human measures are motivated by flood safety and fresh water supply considerations, and navigation to the Port of Rotterdam network (Figure 1). Due to extensive embankments, land reclamation, narrowing and deepening and construction of new waterways between 1500 and present, the system no longer resembles a classic estuary or delta channel network (Cox, Leuven, et al., 2022; Huismans et al., 2021). Channel depths are controlled by dredging, particularly in the Nieuwe Maas and Nieuwe Waterweg branches.…”

Section: Geographical Setting Of the Rhine‐meuse Delta Mouthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peak Water Levels Rise Less Than Mean Sea Level in Tidal Channels Subject to Depth Convergence by Deepening

et al. 2023

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Effects of sea‐level rise (SLR) on future peak water levels in tidal deltas and estuaries are largely unknown, despite these areas being densely populated and at high risk of flooding. While the rates of SLR accelerate, many channels simultaneously experience channel deepening for navigation. With globally decreasing sediment supplies, most channels are at risk of becoming deeper when the rate of SLR accelerates and sedimentation cannot keep pace with SLR. These factors potentially favor amplification of the tides and thereby increase flood risk, but the extent to which they will do so is unknown. Here, we introduce and use a validated model for an artificially deepened multi‐branch delta to get a mechanistic understanding of non‐linear SLR‐effects on peak water levels. Results show that, when the current deepened bed level will be maintained, peak water levels do not rise on par with mean sea‐level. Thus flood risk increases less than what can be expected from the predictions of the mean sea‐level increase. The reason is that SLR causes a proportional reduction in convergence of channel area. This mechanism reduces tidal amplification. Nevertheless, SLR effects extend far beyond the range of present‐day seasonal variations, with future low water levels being equal to present‐day high water levels, while the tidal range slightly reduces. This will have consequences not only for flood risk, but also for freshwater availability, navigation and ecology.

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“…Thus, sediment sinks shift from shallow tidal flats to nearby deep channels due to tidal flat reclamation (van Maren et al, 2016;Gao et al, 2018;Cheng et al, 2020). Meanwhile, in the tidal flat just near the sea dike, the sedimentation rate may be reduced or even turn to erosion due to strengthened tidal current velocity and wave conditions (Zhang and Chen, 2015;Cox et al, 2022). As a result, the tidal flats shift from suspended sediment sink to a source.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of tidal flat reclamation on suspended sediment dynamics in the tidal-dominated Wenzhou Coast, China

Zhang

Chen

et al. 2023

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Reclamation of tidal flats is one of the engineering measures of expanding land area and developing the economy in coastal areas; however, this process disturbs the natural processes of the tidal flat system. Taking the flood-tidal dominant Oufei tidal flat at the Wenzhou coast as a study area, the influences of tidal flat reclamation on tidal and suspended sediment dynamics were comprehensively investigated via numerical modeling. Before the reclamation, the Eulerian residual current flows alongshore and the residual sediment transport on-shore in the tidal flat area. The reclamation reduces the tidal flat area, shifting the M4 co-phase line toward the coast and squeezing the flood-dominated area. Consequently, the tidal current is weakened and the suspended sediment concentration (SSC) is reduced, but the residual sediment transport change insignificantly. The residual sediment transport in the Feiyunjiang Estuary is controlled by the tidal pumping effect. The upper estuary shows a net sediment transport landward, while a seaward transport is observed in the lower estuary, which further splits into two circulation outside the estuary. The south Oufei dike construction interferes the northern sediment circulation, resulting in the alteration of local SSC and enhancing landward sediment transport inside the estuary. The methodology and understandings arising from this study could be a good reference for the analysis of suspended sediment transport under tidal flat reclamation effects at other sites.

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Sediment deficit and morphological change of the Rhine–Meuse river mouth attributed to multi-millennial anthropogenic impacts

Cited by 13 publications

References 72 publications

Effects of Sea‐Level Rise on Dredging and Dredged Estuary Morphology

Effects of Sea‐Level Rise on Dredging and Dredged Estuary Morphology

Peak Water Levels Rise Less Than Mean Sea Level in Tidal Channels Subject to Depth Convergence by Deepening

Impacts of tidal flat reclamation on suspended sediment dynamics in the tidal-dominated Wenzhou Coast, China

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