5. Detailed theory and practice of maintenance dredging of port access channels by DAMs

5.1 Sediment issues in tidal ports, particularly estuary ports

Every harbor entrance is a complex system at the interface between the continental and maritime realms. This zone is the seat of numerous exchanges whose dynamics vary greatly according to the seasons and meteorological phenomena (tidal cycles, storms), a complexity amplified in estuaries by the variable regime of rivers (low water, floods).

In general, the maritime regime predominates, with winds and storms having an influence on sediment transport and spatial dispersion in addition to the tidal influence....