Historical evolution of mud deposition and erosion in intertidal areas of the Scheldt estuary (Belgium and SW Netherlands)

The mud dynamics in an estuary are recognized as an important element of estuarine functioning, because increasing suspended sediment concentrations may be both harmful for ecological functions (e.g., biomass production by phytoplankton) and deteriorative for human functions (e.g., by siltation of shipping channels). Considering the potential risk of increase in suspended sediment concentration in the Schelde estuary, this study aims to quantify the mud deposition/erosion in different time periods since 1930 to present, different intertidal ecotope types, and different zones along the Schelde... Mehr ...