Evolution Of Tidal Inlet Geometries In A Restored Coastal Wetland

Field data were collected over a 3-year period from several tidal inlet channels within the Hunter Wetland National Park (HWNP), a coastal wetland undergoing restoration in southeastern Australia. The collected data included depth, top width, and cross-sectional area of nine channels, as well as the corresponding tidal marsh areas, ranging in size from approximately 10 to 200 ha. The observations provided a novel data set characterising the evolution of tidal inlet channels. The present field data were compared with existing empirical predictions for equilibrium conditions in tidal inlets. The comparative analysis showed that most channels were in a dynamic equilibrium state, whereas channel evolution data for a youthful tidal channel suggested that it is converging to its predicted equilibrium morphology.