Morphodynamics of Texel Inlet

Texel inlet, the largest inlet in the Dutch Wadden Sea, has undergone drastic changes in the morphology of its back-barrier basin, ebb-tidal delta and adjacent coastlines after the closure of the Zuiderzee (1926-1932). As a result, large sand losses were observed along the adjacent coastlines and still until today the maintenance of this part of the coast is the most intensive of the entire Dutch coast. The processes controlling the sediment exchange between the North-Holland and Texel coasts, the ebb-tidal delta, tidal inlet and back-barrier basin are insufficiently understood despite intensive monitoring and analysis. The research reported in this publication aims to acquire more understanding of this sediment exchange and of the morphodynamics of Texel Inlet in general. The morphodynamics of Texel Inlet are studied over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales ranging from long-term descriptions of historic inlet evolution, from 1550 A.D. to present, to detailed analyses of hydrodynamics and morphodynamics on a tidal and seasonal process-scale. Although, the focus is on Texel Inlet, where possible, findings are generalized to contribute to the understanding of generic tidal inlet dynamics.