Tidal inlet dynamics in response to human intervention

The effects of large-scale human intervention on inlet dynamics are studied. In particular, the response of the largest of the Wadden Sea inlets (Texel Inlet) to the closure of a major part of its inner basin is re-analyzed. The re-analysis is based on datasets of bathymetry, discharges and water levels that have been obtained by intensive monitoring of both the inner basin and the ebb-tidal delta. Based on this re-analyisis and modern theoretical knowledge a conceptual model is postulated that describes the morphologic adjustment of tidal inlets due to large-scale human intervention. The kernel of this model is that the morphological adjustment towards a new overall equilibrium is split into two stages related to the existence of more than one temporal response scale.