Projects

Implications of nature-based SALTISolutions for port logistics

This subproject investigates consequences of nature-based SALTISolutions on nautical safety and port economics. Alternative nature-based SALTISolutions may impact already existing or planned port operations by blocking existing or opening new shipping routes, by creating hazardous crosscurrents (that enhance mixing, but adversely impact nautical safety), by impacting sedimentation rates through a shifted Estuary Turbidity Maximum, or by affecting natural values (e.g. through disturbance of local wild life or increased traffic related wave action). Curiously enough, this interaction between hydro and morphodynamic behavior of estuarine systems and the water borne logistical chains that make use of these systems is rarely included in integrated modelling assessments. Specific research questions are:

• Which aggregated indicators can be used to typify nautical safety and port economics, given the dynamics of the natural system around shipping channels and port areas?
• To what extent do nature-based SALTISolutions affect key natural processes in and around port areas, most notably the dynamics of the ETM and the consequences for annual siltation rates.
• How do port logistic processes interact with the physical state of the system, and what are the implications of system changes for expected port performance in the coming 50 years?