Morphology and asymmetry of the vertical tide in the Westerschelde estuary

Observations on the changes of the large-scale morphology and tidal asymmetry in the Westerschelde estuary were used to evaluate the applicability of existing relationships between estuarine morphology and the asymmetry of the vertical tide. The results of the analyses show that shallow parts tend to be more flood-dominant than deeper areas. This tendency agrees with the findings of earlier studies of tidal asymmetry (e.g. Coastal Shelf Sci., 27 (1988) 521). Historical changes and spatial variations of the asymmetry of the vertical tide can be explained by the variation of the ratio of tidal amplitude to mean channel depth. The results can be used to assess the impact of, for instance, a channel deepening on the asymmetry of the vertical tide.