PATTERNS OF SUSPENDED MATTER IN THE EAST FRISIAN WADDEN SEA: COMPARISON OF NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS WITH MERIS OBSERVATIONS

The transport of suspended matter in the East Frisian Wadden Sea is investigated using satellite observations and numerical simulations. Satellite data originate from the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) onboard the ESA satellite ENVISAT and have a spatial resolution of 300 m. The numerical model is based on the General Estuarine Transport Model (GETM); it has a horizontal resolution of 200 m and ten depth layers and is coupled with a suspended matter transport model. Numerically simulated and observed data sets have a comparable resolution. As it is much higher than any known resolution of earlier investigations covering the entire area of the East Frisian Wadden Sea, new patterns of suspended matter distribution could be discovered. They are consistent in the two data sets and reveal an oscillatory behaviour of sediment pools northward of the backbarrier basins and clear propagation patterns of tidal water outflow into the North Sea. The agreement between observations and simulations gives a convincing proof that the model simulates the basic dynamic processes, which motivates its further use for operational purposes in the coastal zone.

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