Modelling the Vertical Structure of Tidal Currents and Temperature of the North Sea

In two previous papers (Vanosmael et al. 1982; Willems et al. 1982) the macrofauna and meiofauna of a sublittoral sandbank in the Belgian coastal waters of the North Sea were described. This sandbank, the Kwinte Bank, is one of a series of parallel linear banks, the Flemish Banks, which are 15–25 km long and 3–6 km wide and rise about 25 m above the surrounding sea-floor. They are stressed, high-energy environments, subject to extreme physical disturbance by the very strong tidal currents which run parallel to the long axis of the sandbank and which put the whole upper layer of the sediment in a state of suspension at times.

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Macrobenthos of a Sublittoral Sandbank in the Southern Bight of the North Sea

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s002531540001972x ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 521-534 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

C. Vanosmael ◽

K. A. Willems ◽

D. Claeys ◽

M. Vincx ◽

C. Heip

Keyword(s):

North Sea ◽

Tidal Currents ◽

English Channel ◽

Marine Transgression ◽

Sea Floor ◽

Southern Bight ◽

Glacial Origin ◽

The North ◽

Belgian Coast ◽

The North Sea

In the Southern Bight of the North Sea, off the Belgian coast, exists a series of parallel sublittoral sandbanks, the Flemish Banks, situated in a southwest-northeastern direction, 15–25 km long and 3–6 km wide. They are separated by channels, 4–6 km wide, and rise about 25 m above the surrounding sea-floor (Fig. 1). These sandbanks resulted from the accumulation of sandy deposits of glacial origin sedimented by the giant stream draining the waters from the present Rhine, Meuse, Scheldt and Thames before the Flandrian marine transgression about 12000 years ago. When from boreal times onwards the North Sea became slowly inundated, a connexion existed with the small English Channel which gradually enlarged, resulting in the very strong tidal currents which are responsible for the present geomorphology of the region.

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GIANT AND MEGA RIPPLES IN THE GERMAN BIGHT AND STUDIES OF THEIR MIGRATION IN A TESTING AREA

Coastal Engineering Proceedings ◽

10.9753/icce.v14.59 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 1 (14) ◽

pp. 59

Author(s):

Horst Pasenau ◽

Johannes Ulrich

Keyword(s):

North Sea ◽

German Bight ◽

Tidal Currents ◽

Tidal Channels ◽

Testing Area ◽

The North ◽

The North Sea ◽

Echo Sounding

In a lot of regions the bottom of the North Sea is covered with large ripple fields, especially in the estuaries and in the tidal channels. A great number of echo sounding profiles (29.500 n.m.) were evaluated to determine the boundaries of these areas and to describe the dimension of patterns. Special investigations of the hydrographic situation, the distribution of deposits and the migration of ripples under the influence of tidal currents only, were carried out in a testing area in the Lister Tief on 11 cruises since 1971.

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Shape and size trends for sand waves in a depositional zone of the North Sea

Geological Magazine ◽

10.1017/s0016756800057666 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 107 (5) ◽

pp. 469-477 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

A. H. Stride

Keyword(s):

Continental Shelf ◽

North Sea ◽

Tidal Currents ◽

British Isles ◽

Progressive Decrease ◽

Sand Waves ◽

The North ◽

Migration Direction ◽

The North Sea ◽

Shape And Size

SummaryA continuous profile of 430 large sand waves shows a progressive decrease in height (with some increasing crest separation) in their inferred migration direction, as well as showing the changing effectiveness of the ebb and flood tidal currents to move sand. The height of these and other sand waves around the British Isles is virtually unrelated to the depth of the sea, contrary to what has been suggested elsewhere. However, most sand waves occur on the continental shelf broadly because it is there that the currents reach a suitable range of speeds and sufficient sand is available at the present time.

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