On the Modeling of Bio-physical Influences on Seasonal Variation in Sandwave Dynamics

Seasonal variation is observed in sandwave migration and sandwave length for a tidal inlet between the North Sea and the Dutch Wadden Sea (Marsdiep tidal inlet). Modeling experiments demonstrate that this seasonal variation is induced both by physical and biological processes. By including seasonal variations in (1) tides, (2) fall velocity of sediment and (3) a reduction of the near bottom flow by tube building worms, in an idealized sandwave model, we find a quantitatively agreement between the model outcomes and field measurements.