ESTUARINE-WIDE SEDIMENT DYNAMICS UNDER HUMAN INTERVENTIONS AND CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS; AN IDEALISED MODEL STUDY

Abstract

Estuaries worldwide are under constant anthropogenic pressure. They are susceptible to climate change effects, from the sea (sea level rise, changing wave climate) and from the river-side (changing river discharge). Besides, estuaries are channelised and embanked to improve flood safety and to reclaim land, and channels are deepened to allow bigger ships to enter the ports. To optimise estuarine functions and sustainably prepare for future challenges, improved understanding of estuarine sediment dynamics after potential changes in the systems configuration and forcings is desired. This paper aims to assess the annual sediment dynamics of an estuary under a climate change effects, and how this is affected by human interventions.