Estuary morphology - survey and modelling for managed set back site
A project to assess how managing set-back on the Tollesbury Creek and Fleet affected the shape of the estuary.
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Details
This project assessed the effects of a scheme to manage set-back (moving the flood wall or embankment further inland) on the shape of an estuary. It did this by monitoring changes in water depth in Tollesbury Fleet and around the breach where the set-back occurred. This helps to improve understanding of how sediment moves in the estuary and in the broader site through numerical modelling.
In general, over the entire period from June 1994 to November 2001 the whole estuary has deepened, particularly along Tollesbury Creek and in Tollesbury Fleet. This deepening has occurred in both subtidal (below low tide) and intertidal (between low tide and high tide) areas of the estuary. The subtidal and lower intertidal areas appear to be affected by the breach, while the upper intertidal areas are affected by wave action. The most significant mechanism on the bed levels in the estuary as a whole appears to be the natural year on year variation in the waves.
The project started in 1994 and was completed in 2002 at a cost of £196,000.