ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTS OF THE ZUIDER SEA CLOSURE ON THE HYDRODYNAMICS OF THE WADDEN SEA INLETS

Julia Vroom,Jamie Lescinski,Edwin Elias,Zheng Bing Wang

doi:10.9753/icce.v33.management.47

Abstract

Large hydrodynamic and morphodynamic changes have taken place in the western Dutch Wadden Sea due to the closure of the Zuider Sea in the early 1930s. Hydrodynamic simulations for three situations, viz. just before the closure, just after the closure and at present, have been carried out in order to investigate the hydrodynamic changes since the closure and to improve our understanding of the observed morphodynamic changes. The model results show a large increase in tidal range after the closure of the Zuider Sea. This increase continued to grow after the closure due to bathymetric change and sea level rise. The morphodynamic analysis focuses on the changed behavior of the ebb-tidal deltas of the Texel Inlet and the Vlie Inlet. Both ebb-tidal deltas have undergone a re-orientation in up-drift direction. Two possible explanations based on the literature for this change are discussed with the help of the hydrodynamic simulations.

Highlights

IntroductionThe Wadden Sea stretches along the northwest coasts of the Netherlands (Fig. 1) and Germany
The Wadden Sea stretches along the northwest coasts of the Netherlands (Fig. 1) and Germany.This sea is composed of a series of tidal basins which are sheltered from waves from the North Sea by barrier islands
This paper focuses on the development of the ebb-tidal deltas of the Texel and Vlie inlets, focusing on the change in main channel orientation

Summary

Introduction

The Wadden Sea stretches along the northwest coasts of the Netherlands (Fig. 1) and Germany. This sea is composed of a series of tidal basins which are sheltered from waves from the North Sea by barrier islands. Since the 16th century, and until the closure of the Zuider Sea, the Texel inlet’s ebb-tidal delta has shown a cyclic behavior, with a clockwise rotating system, consisting of a main channel and shoals, which merged with the island of Texel. The Vlie inlet had a cyclic ebb-tidal delta behavior until the closure of the Zuider Sea (Sha, 1989)

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