Recent Advances in Tidal Inlet Morphodynamic Modelling

Tidal inlets connect the ocean to inner water bodies and are present worldwide. Complex interactions between tides, waves and shallow bathymetry often drive fast morphological changes but the underlying processes remain only partly understood. To better understand these processes, the development and application of morphodynamic models represents a unique perspective. This paper evaluates the impact of recent developments in the modelling system SCHISM, which include: a WENO method to solve the Exner Equation, a 3D coupling between waves and currents using a vortex force formalism, an adaptive parameterization for the dissipation of short waves by breaking and improved representations for wave-induced sediment transport. In order to evaluate the relevance of these developments, SCHISM is applied to the Maumusson Inlet, a mixed-energy inlet located on the Western Coast of France. Model-data comparison reveals firstly that complex wave-current interactions take place over the inlet ebb-delta, that include partial wave blocking during the ebb. Compared to classical 2DH approaches, our improved modelling system better reproduces the dynamics of adjacent beaches, inlet migration under oblique waves and sediment infilling of the main channel under storm waves. The relevance of these developments is demonstrated at the mixed-energy Maumusson Inlet (France).