Morphodynamics of Tidal Systems

Course goals

Content

This course is the second course in a series of three (period 2: River and Delta systems, period 4: Morphodynamics of wave-dominated coasts) . Other courses in the MSc that focus on delta and coastal systems are Coastal Ecology and Coastal zone and river management.
 During this course the dynamics of tidal systems will be studied at all relevant time scales (few hours to millennia) and spatial scales (kilometers to global scale). We will follow the pathway of the tidal wave from its generation in the ocean to the dissipation of tidal energy in the shallowest regions of tidal basins and estuaries. Along its paths, tidal waves induce current that transport sediment and cause morphological change. Main topics of the course are:

1. Generation of tides by the gravitational interaction of earth, moon and sun.
2. Tidal dynamics of shallow shelf seas.
3. Hydrodynamics and morphodynamics of shallow tidal basins.
4. Tides in estuaries: Effect of geometry on tides, river-tide interactions, estuarine dynamics, fine sediment dynamics and morphological change.
5. Time series analysis of water level and flow velocity data.
6. Evolution and depositional architecture of tidal systems under sea level rise.

Development of Transferrable Skills

• Ability to work in a team: During the course the students have to work in teams to do computer exercises, write reports and do research.
• Written and verbal communication skills: Students have to deliver reports. You will get feedback on the content.
• Problem-solving skills: Students have to work on programming exercises and apply it to analyse data sets or model tidal phenomena.
• Analytical/quantitative skills: Students have to analyze data sets,  to apply equations to field cases, and to program Python code.
• Technical skills: Students will have to program in Python and will learn to use the codes to study tidal phenomena.