MERI

The Role of Hydrodynamics and Geomorphology on Sediment Movement in a Fragmented Micro-Tidal Estuary: Implications for Coastal Flood Resilience Planning.

 

Field sensors were deployed to determine tidal creek flow measurements and their associated turbidity changes during flood and ebb cycles. These measurements can aid in our understanding of sediment transport and possible accretion patterns occurring in Meadowlands wetlands. The study detected a clear tidal discharge asymmetry of the marsh drainage system. It has been suggested that these tidal discharge asymmetries occur as a consequence of drainage basin morphology and storage characteristics in conjunction with prevailing tidal range and stage (Boon 1975). In this study we use GIS to determine general basin morphology and storage characteristics of five tidal creek basins and compare these with the corresponding stage velocity curves. If there is a strong correlation between landscape metrics, properties, sediment transport, and accretion; then we could use landscape metrics to monitor and predict accretion rates without having to actually measure sediment transport.