Effect of sediment load reduction in tidal entrance channels

摘要

A matter of concern in water management is that the removal of suspended sediment accompanying the withdrawal of freshwater from a stream for commercial or recreational uses may induce long-term morphologic changes in the downstream estuary. To calculate the change in the cross-sectional area due to sediment load reduction in the estuarine entrance channel, the well-known method of Escoffier is used, and, separately, the adaptation time is estimated. The analysis is applied diagnostically to the Matanzas Inlet on the Atlantic Coast of Florida. It is a useful tool for a first-order estimation of the impact of withdrawal at tidal entrances where data for more accurate process-based modeling are scarce.