Graduation of Sterre Bult

The influence of the tide, wind and waves on the large-scale sediment transport patterns in the Dutch Wadden Sea

• Professor of graduation: Prof. dr. ir. Z. B. Wang (TU Delft)

• Supervisors of graduation: Dr. ir. E. P. L. Elias (Deltares), Msc. S. R. P. M. Pluis (Rijkswaterstaat), Dr. ir. B. C. van Prooijen (TU Delft), Dr. ing. J. A. A. Antolínez (TU Delft)

The Wadden Sea is the largest existing system of tidal flats and barrier islands. Its individual features have been heavily researched, but the large-scale sediment transport patterns have not been assessed in detail. In addition, the tide is assumed to be the largest contributor to the sediment transport, but recent research has demonstrated that the wind is also responsible for sediment transport within the system of the Wadden Sea. This thesis aims to indicate the dominant sediment transport patterns in the Dutch Wadden Sea and the hydrodynamic forcing the patterns can be attributed to. The Delft3D-FM model used to indicate these patterns is first adapted by implementing an improved Manning’s roughness field. To assess the patterns for each contributing hydrodynamic forcing, the tide, wind and waves are added to the model one by one. The results show that the Dutch Wadden Sea is a highly interconnected system, in which the dominant sediment transport patterns are mainly caused by the tide and wind.