The research presented in this work qualitatively investigates the morphodynamic response of a large tidal inlet/basin system to future relative sea level rise (RSLR) using the state-of-the-art Delft3D numerical model. Understanding the potential impacts of RSLR on these systems is a prerequisite for their sustainable management due to their rich bio-diversity and the increase in economic activities and local communities in recent decades. The adopted approach used a highly schematised model domain analogous to the Ameland inlet in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Model simulations were undertaken applying tidal and wave boundary forcings with three IPCC projected RSLR scenarios (no RSLR, low RSLR and high RSLR). Predicted inlet evolution indicated a channel/shoal pattern typically observed at the Ameland inlet. RSLR enhances the existing flood-dominance of the system leading to erosion on the ebb-tidal delta and accretion in the basin. Under the no RSLR case, resulting bed evolution of the process-based model (Delft3D) tends to agree with empirical-equilibrium relations of the ASMITA model. Application of the low RSLR scenario resulted in quite stable tidal flat evolution. Model simulations with the high RSLR scenario indicated disappearing the tidal flats over time and turning the system into a lagoon. Applying nourishment hardly compensated the RSLR induced sediment demand of tidal flat evolution.

This Proceedings contains over 260 papers on cutting-edge research presented at the eighth international Symposium on Coastal Sediment Processes, held May 11 - 15, 2015, in San Diego, California, USA. This technical specialty conference was devoted to promoting an interdisciplinary exchange of state-of-the-art knowledge among researchers in the fields of coastal engineering, geology, oceanography, and related disciplines, with the theme of Understanding and Working with Nature.Focusing on the physical aspects of the sediment processes in various coastal environments, this Proceedings provides findings from the latest research and newest engineering applications. Sessions covered a wide range of topics including barrier islands, beaches, climate and sea level, cohesive and noncohesive sediments, coastal bluffs, coastal marsh, dredged sediments, inlet and navigation channels, regional sediment management, river deltas, shore protection, tsunamis, and vegetation-sediment interaction. Several special sessions included: Relevant science for changing coastlines: A Tribute to Gary Griggs; North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study and post-super-storm Sandy work; long-term coastal evolution; barrier islands of Louisiana; sea-level rise and super storms in a warming world; predicting decadal coastal geomorphic evolution; and contrasting Pacific coastal behavior with El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), are also featured.

Process-based morphodynamic modelling is one of the relatively new tools at the disposal of coastal scientists, engineers and managers. On paper, it offers the possibility to analyse morphological processes and to investigate the effects of various measures one might consider to alleviate some problems. For these to be applied in practice, a model should be relatively straightforward to set up. It should be accurate enough to represent the details of interest, it should run long enough and robustly to see the real effects happen, and the physical processes represented in such a way that the sediment generally goes in the right direction at the right rate. Next, practitioners must be able to judge if the patterns and outcomes of the model are realistic and finally, translate these colour pictures and vector plots to integrated parameters that are relevant to the client or end user. In a nutshell, this book provides an in-depth review of ways to model coastal processes, including many hands-on exercises.

This book presents chapters, written by leading coastal scientists, which collectively depict the current understanding of the processes that shape barrier islands and barrier spits, with an emphasis on the response of these landforms to changing conditions. A majority of the world’s population lives along the coast at the dynamic intersection between terrestrial and marine ecosystems and landscapes. As narrow, low-lying landforms, barriers are especially vulnerable to changes in sea level, storminess, the geographic distribution of grass species, and the rate of sand supply—some barriers will undergo rapid changes in state (e.g., from landward migrating to disintegrating), on human time scales. Attempts by humans to prevent change can hasten the loss of these landforms, threatening their continued existence as well as the recreational, financial and ecosystem service benefits they provide. Understanding the processes and interactions that drive landscape response to climate change and human actions is essential to adaptation. As managers and governments struggle to plan for the future along low-lying coasts worldwide, and scientists conduct research that provides useful guidance, this volume offers a much-needed compilation for these groups, as well as a window into the science of barrier dynamics for anyone who is generally interested in the impacts of a changing world on coastal environments.

The book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the physical processes which, according to the present state of knowledge, determine the evolution of coastal systems and their response to human interventions. This response depends to a large degree on the self-organising properties of coastal dynamics, which form a leading theme throughout the book. The basic theoretical ideas are explained in text and figures and also in formulas for the more mathematically inclined reader. Theories are illustrated with examples from estuaries, coastal lagoons, beaches and tidal flat systems from all over the world. The rules and simple models can be used directly without relying on complex computations; much attention is given to the strengths and weaknesses of the underlying theories and their limits of applicability. The book is fully self-contained; some knowledge of basic physics and mathematics is recommended. The book is an upgrade of the first edition. Most parts are rewritten and chapters are added to incorporate research results, new insight and experience of the past ten years. This book is intended for everyone interested in coastal systems for professional or educational reasons.

This handbook is the definitive reference for the interdisciplinary field that is ocean engineering. It integrates the coverage of fundamental and applied material and encompasses a diverse spectrum of systems, concepts and operations in the maritime environment, as well as providing a comprehensive update on contemporary, leading-edge ocean technologies. Coverage includes an overview on the fundamentals of ocean science, ocean signals and instrumentation, coastal structures, developments in ocean energy technologies and ocean vehicles and automation. It aims at practitioners in a range of offshore industries and naval establishments as well as academic researchers and graduate students in ocean, coastal, offshore and marine engineering and naval architecture. The Springer Handbook of Ocean Engineering is organized in five parts: Part A: Fundamentals, Part B: Autonomous Ocean Vehicles, Subsystems and Control, Part C: Coastal Design, Part D: Offshore Technologies, Part E: Energy Conversion

Climate change is having an increasing impact on coastal, estuarine, and marine environments worldwide. This book provides state-of-the-art coverage of climate change effects on estuarine ecosystems from local, regional, and global perspectives. With editors among the most noted international scholars in coastal ecology and estuarine science and contributors who are world-class in their fields, the chapters in this volume consist of comprehensive studies in coastal, estuarine and marine sciences, climate change, and coastal management and provide an extensive international collection of data in tabular, illustrated, and narrative formats useful for coastal scientists, planners, and managers. Comprised of three sections: (1) physical-chemical aspects; (2) biological aspects; and (3) management aspects, the book not only examines climatic and non-climatic drivers of change affecting coastal, estuarine, and marine environments but also their interactions and effects on populations of organisms, communities, habitats, and ecosystem structure and function. Pulling together today’s most salient issues and key literature advances for those concerned with coastal management, it allows the reader to see across direct and indirect interactions among disciplinary and ecosystem boundaries. Climate Change and Estuaries meets the research needs of climate scientists, estuarine and marine biologists, marine chemists, marine geologists, hydrologists, and coastal engineers, while students, professors, administrators, and other professionals will also find it an exhaustive reference.

The study presented in this book is a part of a collective effort to bridge the existing gap of our understanding of morphological behavior of tidal basins between engineering and geological time scales by extending the use of coastal engineering tools (process-based models) to geological time scales. The Dutch Waddenzee is chosen as the case study and the working hypothesis that 'If you put enough of the essential physics into the model, the most important features of the morphological behavior will come out, even at longer time scales' is examined. Through a number of steps, this study shows that the working hypothesis is valid and provides a clearer picture of the relation between 'most important features ' and ' the essential physics '. In this study it is shown that a process-based model can be used to simulate long-term morphological changes in tidal basins and produce reasonable results. The result of a very simplified model of the Dutch Waddenzee shows a good qualitative agreement with current pattern of channels and shoals of the Dutch Waddenzee. Also the morphological features of the basins in the simulations follow the data-based equilibrium equations and conceptual models.

A distinguished team of Western European scholars has written an advanced, full-length physical geography designed to be a state-of -the-art evaluation of the physical environment of Western Europe, being both retrospective and prospective in its perception of environmental change. The unique natural and regional environments of Western Europe are discussed, as well as the physical geographic framework of the region. Particular emphasis is placed on the impact and responses of human society on the physical environment of the region which is characterized by a very high population density. As an enhanced reference work it will be of enduring value.