Stability Of Tidal Inlets

Developments in Geotechnical Engineering, 23: Stability of Tidal Inlets: Theory and Engineering focuses on all aspects related to tidal inlets on littoral drift shores where freshwater flow is small or non-existing. The selection first tackles the development and configuration of tidal inlets and inlet hydraulics. Discussions focus on flow dynamics and nearshore transport, combinations of waves and currents, sediment transport and storage in the tidal entrance, offsets of tidal inlets, natural inlet regimen, migration of inlets, and origin of tidal inlets. The manuscript then examines sediment transport in tidal inlets, stability of tidal inlets on littoral drift shores, and design and improvements of coastal inlets. Topics cover ocean entrance, overall stability condition, hydraulic and sedimentary principles, non-scouring channels, transport of sediments in wave agitated waters, and sediment transport by combined wave and current action. The publication explores improvements by structures, including natural bypassing, types of improvement, and bypassing by structures and bypassing plants or arrangements. The selection is a valuable source of data for researchers interested in the stability of tidal inlets.

Along much of the shoreline of the world, tidal inlets play an important role in nearshore processes, providing links between the coastal oceans and protected embayments. Their study is of particular importance not only for the understanding of fundamental processes in coastal oceanography but also for engineering and the proper management of the delicate equilibrium of our shorelines. This volume, based on the International Symposium on Hydrodynamics and Sediment Dynamics of Tidal Inlets held at Woods Hole, MA, presents the reader with an overview of contemporary research on these important features. The coverage includes: - mathematical modelling, including a review of inlet hydrodynamics, - observations on hydrodynamics, - sedimentology and morphology, - tidal deltas, - processes and policies pertaining to sedimentation, and the - impacts of shore protection and dredging in beaches.

"This work explores coastal zones in the vicinity of tidal inlets, which are commonly utilized for navigation, sand mining, waterfront developments and fishing and recreation, are under particularly high population pressure and will only be exacerbated by foreshadowed climate change (CC). Although few recent studies have investigated CC impacts on very large tidal inlet systems, the nature and magnitude of CC impacts on the more commonly found small tidal inlets (STIs) remains practically un-investigated to date. The combination of pre-dominant occurrence in developing countries, socio-economic relevance and low community resilience, general lack of data, and high sensitivity to seasonal forcing makes STIs potentially very vulnerable to CC impacts. This study was undertaken to develop methods and tools that can provide insights on potential CC impacts on STIs, and to demonstrate their application to assess these CC impacts. Two process based snap-shot modeling approaches for data poor and data rich environments are used to assess CC impacts and an innovative reduced complexity model is developed to obtain rapid predictions of CC impacts on the STI’s stability. Results show that STIs are unlikely to change their types, but that their stability level is likely to change under CC impacts. The main driver for the change is the future variations in wave directions, not SLR as is commonly thought. "--Provided by publisher.