Sediment management measures to address the effects of sand starvation in the Eastern Scheldt : an evaluation
De Swerdt, S. (2019). Sediment management measures to address the effects of sand starvation in the Eastern Scheldt : an evaluation. MSc Thesis. NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research: Yerseke. 49 pp.
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| Abstract |
In the Eastern Scheldt, a tidal basin in the southwest of the Netherlands, strategic nourishing of intertidal areas is taking place, to address the effects of sand starvation, a phenomenon caused by the human interference with hard engineering practices as part of the Delta works. The intertidal flats and shoals in the Eastern Scheldt are important foraging grounds for birds, and because of this also designated as Natura 2000 area. Therefore it is important to mitigate the negative effects of erosion. In the future, coastal areas worldwide may encounter similar problems as the Eastern Scheldt tidal basin due to sea level rise.In this thesis, the implementation process followed at three completed nourishment projects and the upcoming Roggenplaat nourishment in the Eastern Scheldt is assessed. Hereby, the way in which the projects were designed and how the monitoring was done is evaluated. Furthermore, the morphological and ecological developments of the nourishments are reviewed.Based on the observed morphological and ecological developments of the nourishments, we conclude that nourishments on intertidal areas is a promising technique to address the effects of sand starvation in the Eastern Scheldt and can be one of the potential solutions to protect and conserve intertidal habitats and thus also foraging grounds for birds. To improve this practice, recommendations were made regarding goal setting, monitoring and evaluation. |
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