ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Coastal Ocean Processes
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1608858
Numerical modeling of the influence of tidal flats on estuaries: the case of the Guadalquivir estuary, SW of the Iberian Peninsula
Provisionally accepted
- 1Physical Oceanography Group, Department of Applied Physics II, University of Málaga, Málaga, Andalusia, Spain
- 2Instituto de Biotecnología y Desarrollo Azul (IBYDA), University of Málaga, Málaga, Spain
- 3Instituto de Ingeniería Oceánica (IIO), University of Málaga, Málaga, Andalusia, Spain
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Tidal flats play a crucial role in estuarine dynamics, yet their degradation due to human activities raises concerns about their ecological and hydrodynamic implications. This study investigates the impact of tidal flats with simplified geometries on the hydrodynamics and salinity distribution of the Guadalquivir estuary using a three-dimensional numerical model. Simulations explore different tidal flat configurations, assessing how their location, depth, and connectivity influence water transport, tidal amplitude, and salinity gradients. Results indicate that the most significant changes, primarily local in nature, occur near the tidal flats, extending asymmetrically a few kilometers along the estuary. Their presence increases water transport through the estuary mouth while reducing tidal amplitude and delaying tidal wave propagation, with a maximum delay of a few minutes and a 10% reduction in amplitude, resembling the effect of increased bottom friction. Additionally, they act as reservoirs of saltier water, increasing time-averaged salinity and modifying horizontal salinity gradients, particularly upstream of their location. The most influential factors are tidal flat depth and proximity to the estuary mouth, with deeper and more seaward tidal flats producing more pronounced changes. The connection length of the tidal flats with the main channel also plays a crucial role in these dynamics, whereas their extent has a lesser influence overall. These findings provide insights into estuarine tidal flat management and restoration.
Keywords: Guadalquivir estuary1, Numerical Modeling2, tidal flat3, Delft3D4, tidal dynamics5, hydrodynamics6, salinity distribution7, salt plug8
Received: 09 Apr 2025; Accepted: 13 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Muñoz-López, Garcia Lafuente, Nadal and Sammartino. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Pablo Muñoz-López, Physical Oceanography Group, Department of Applied Physics II, University of Málaga, Málaga, Andalusia, Spain
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