Long-term evolution of the Old Rhine estuary: Unravelling effects of changing boundary conditions and inherited landscape.

ABSTRACT: The long-term morphodynamic evolution of estuaries depends on a combination of antecedent topography and boundary conditions, including fluvial input, sea-level change and regional-landscape interactions. Identifying effects of such boundary conditions on estuary evolution is important to anticipate future changes in specific boundary conditions and for hindcasting with numerical and physical models. A comprehensive synthesis of the evolution of the former Old Rhine estuary is presented here, together with its boundary conditions over its full lifespan from 6,500 to 1,000 cal. yr bp. This system formed during a period of sea-level high stand, during which the estuary served as the main River Rhine outlet. The estuary went through three stages of evolution: a maturation phase in a wide infi

SUBMITTER: de Haas T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6743690 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature