IMMERSE - Morphological management of the Scheldt

The Scheldt estuary is confronted with various challenges, including the rise in sea level, the nautical accessibility of the Scheldt ports, nature conservation and flood safety. In this context, Antwerp Port Authority has appointed IMDC to carry out a study into the feasibility of sustainable morphological management strategies in the Hansweert-Bath zone in the Western Scheldt. The study is part of the Interreg project IMMERSE (Implementing Measures for Sustainable Estuaries), which aims to implement sustainable measures to manage challenges in various European estuaries. 

IMDC has been asked to investigate a management strategy for the current problems of navigability of the side channels in this area, taking into account the general challenges of sea level rise, safety, nature, etc. In this study, various morphological management interventions were investigated by deploying a morpho-dynamic model based on IMDC’s validated numerical model of the Scheldt Estuary. The aim of this study is to gain insight (both conceptually and at system level) into the effects of potential morphological management concepts by means of scenario analysis.