NCK symposium: Transport pathways, exchange and dispersal in the Wadden Sea

Research in recent years has demonstrated that the Wadden Sea features a high temporal variability and spatial heterogeneity in the transport of particles, freshwater, and dissolved or suspended matter. This variability is clearly observed in the transport time scales. The fact that the system cannot be considered as statistically steady poses a challenge for the quantification of the exchanges of materials such as nutrients, pollutants, sediment and microplastics between the tidal basins, and between the Wadden Sea and North Sea. Yet, recent numerical modelling and field measurements have provided a deeper understanding of how the Wadden Sea works, even opening the prospect for novel operational transport models, for example, based on Machine-Learning techniques.

In this symposium, we bring together researchers from various universities and institutes to provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art knowledge on transport modelling in the Wadden Sea and to identify lacunae in our understanding. The latter aspect receives special attention during the closing discussion, where possible new avenues of research will be explored.

Organizers: Theo Gerkema (NIOZ, Yerseke) and Matias Duran-Matute (TU/e)

Location: Museum Volkenkunde, Steenstraat 1, Leiden
Date: 7 February 2024, 10:00-16:30.

Participation free, but pre-registration required!

More information and regsitration on the NCK website