While the Delft3D-Geotool already does a good job at simulating the deposition of sediments in fluvial dominated deltas, the removal (erosion) of sediment is also very important if we want to understand the sediment distribution patterns in the preserved deposits. On long timescales, the cumulative alongshore transport of sediment at the coastline can play a significant role in the depositional patterns. We investigated the potential of simulating this process using a new, computationally efficient, coastline evolution model: ShorelineS.
An additional benefit of getting this approach right is that the same technique could then be implemented to study the evolution of deltaic coastlines under Relative Sea Level Rise. in Delft3D-GeoTool we can already include a rising sea level, but without the including of these coastal erosion processes the tool would still overestimate delatic deposition.
As we wanted specifically investigate the erosion of deltaic deposits, we chose a fairly well-studied case, embedded in a relatively straight and simple coastline: the Old Rhine Delta. For this delta, many of the hydrodynamic control conditions have already been approximated.
