Case Studies
Oct 11, 2019

Simple Approach to Long-Term Morphodynamics of the River Delta Applied to the Vistula River Outlet

Publication: Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 1

Abstract

This paper deals with the evolution of the engineered mouth of the Vistula River, Poland, influencing the growth of its delta. The considered delta is a coastal form typical for semiclosed nontidal seas, like the Baltic. The delta shape, close to symmetrical, results from the significant predominance of the riverine hydrodynamics and dynamics of sediment over the respective marine processes. Two versions of the model of a simplified geometry of the delta are presented, as well as the shoreline evolution model. The models are supplemented by the analysis of the sediment budget at the river mouth. The influence of the outlet breakwaters on long-term morphodynamics of the delta is taken into account. The multidecade forecast of delta development is carried out.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

Acknowledgments

The study was sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Poland, under mission-related programme No. 2 of IBW PAN. The authors wish to thank BMTcom for providing of the archival data collected within the OROMA project (EVK3-CT-2001-00053, FP5-EESD). The study also took advantage of results of the project VISTULA sponsored by the National Centre for Research and Development (Contract No. PBS1/A2/3/2012) and carried out by the Maritime Institute in Gdańsk, Poland. No new data were used in producing this manuscript.

References

Anthony, E. J. 2015. “Wave influence in the construction, shaping and destruction of river deltas: A review.” Mar. Geol. 361 (Mar): 53–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2014.12.004.
Bhattacharya, J. P., and L. Giosan. 2003. “Wave-influenced deltas: Geomorphological implications for facies reconstruction.” Sedimentology 50 (1): 187–210. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3091.2003.00545.x.
Carriquiry, J. D., and A. Sánchez. 1999. “Sedimentation in the Colorado River delta and Upper Gulf of California after nearly a century of discharge loss.” Mar. Geol. 158 (1–4): 125–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-3227(98)00189-3.
Cerkowniak, G. R. 2016. Dynamics of the Vistula alluvial fan in various time and spatial scales. [In Polish.] Ph.D. dissertation, Institute of Hydro-Engineering, Polish Academy of Sciences.
Cerkowniak, G. R., R. Ostrowski, and M. Stella. 2015. “Wave-induced sediment motion beyond the surf zone: Case study of Lubiatowo (Poland).” Arch. Hydro-Eng. Environ. Mech. 62 (1–2): 27–39. https://doi.org/10.1515/heem-2015-0017.
Cyberski, J., M. Grześ, M. Gutry-Korycka, E. Nachlik, and Z. Kundzewicz. 2006. “History of floods on the River Vistula.” Hydrol. Sci. J. 51 (5): 799–817. https://doi.org/10.1623/hysj.51.5.799.
Day, J. W., et al. 2016. “Approaches to defining deltaic sustainability in the 21st century.” Estuarine Coastal Shelf Sci. 183 (Part B): 275–291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2016.06.018.
De Chant, L. J., P. P. Pease, and V. Tchakerian. 1999. “Modelling alluvial fan morphology.” Earth Surf. Processes Landforms 24 (7): 641–652. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1096-9837(199907)24:7%3C641::AID-ESP979%3E3.0.CO;2-3.
Fernandes, R. D., S. B. Vinzon, and F. A. M. de Oliveira. 2007. “Navigation at the Amazon River Mouth: Sand bank migration and depth surveying.” In Proc., Ports 2007: 30 Years of Sharing Ideas: 1977–2007, 1–10. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Franz, M., A. Kozakiewicz, A. Naguszewski, M. Piwowarska, R. Ostrowski, M. Skaja, and M. Szmytkiewicz. 2005. “Evolution of the Vistula cross-cut in view of historical bathymetric data.” [In Polish.] Inżynieria Morska i Geotechnika 26 (5): 383–391.
Gąsiorowski, D., J. Kapiński, T. Kolerski, R. Ostrowski, M. Robakiewicz, M. Skaja, and M. Szmytkiewicz. 2005. “Modernisation of the Vistula river outlet—Optimisation of the jetties by modelling approach.” In Proc., 29th Int. Conf. on Coastal Engineering, 3303–3315. Singapore: World Scientific.
Geleynse, N., J. E. Storms, D. J. R. Walstra, H. A. Jagers, Z. B. Wang, and M. J. Stive. 2011. “Controls on river delta formation; insights from numerical modelling.” Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 302 (1–2): 217–226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2010.12.013.
Gelfenbaum, G., and G. M. Kaminsky. 2010. “Large-scale coastal change in the Columbia River littoral cell: An overview.” Mar. Geol. 273 (1–4): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2010.02.007.
Gelfenbaum, G., A. Stevens, E. Elias, and J. Warrick. 2009. “Modeling sediment transport and delta morphology on the dammed Elwha River, Washington State, USA.” In Proc., Coastal Dynamics 2009: Impacts of Human Activities on Dynamic Coastal Processes, 1–15. Singapore: World Scientific.
Giles, P. T. 2010. “Investigating the use of alluvial fan volume to represent fan size in morphometric studies.” Geomorphology 121 (3–4): 317–328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.05.001.
Graniczny, M., T. Janicki, Z. Kowalski, D. Koszka-Maroń, W. Jegliński, S. Z. Uścinowicz, and J. Zachowicz. 2004. “Recent development of the Vistula River outlet.” Pol. Geol. Inst. Spec. Pap. 11: 103–107.
Jabaloy-Sánchez, A., F. J. Lobo, A. Azor, P. Bárcenas, L. M. Fernández-Salas, V. D. del Río, and J. V. Pérez-Peña. 2010. “Human-driven coastline changes in the Adra River deltaic system, southeast Spain.” Geomorphology 119 (1–2): 9–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.02.004.
Jensen, J. H., and C. Pedersen. 2012. “River mouth management in Malaysia—An overview of issues.” In Proc., 8th Int. Conf. on Coastal and Port Engineering in Developing Countries (COPEDEC 2012). Brussels, Belgium: World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.
Kaczmarek, L. M., and R. Ostrowski. 2002. “Modelling intensive near-bed sand transport under wave-current flow versus laboratory and field data.” Coastal Eng. 45 (1): 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-3839(01)00041-2.
Koszka-Maroń, D. 1997. “Dynamic processes at the mouth of the Wisła Śmiala River.” Geol. Q. 41 (1): 69–76.
Koszka-Maroń, D. 2016. “Lithofacies model of the Vistula river-mouth fan as a record of the interaction of marine and terrestrial environments.” [In Polish.] Przegląd Geologiczny 64 (5): 315–327.
Kozakiewicz, A., and R. Ostrowski. 2005. “History and optimisation of the Vistula outlet at Świbno.” In Sediment transport in rivers and transitional waters, edited by W. Majewski and M. Robakiewicz, 20–24. Gdańsk, Poland: Institute of Hydro-Engineering, Polish Academy of Sciences, Centre for Environmental Engineering and Mechanics.
Lisimenka, A., M. Kałas, and S. Rudowski. 2013. “Quantification of bedform roughness development in the Vistula River mouth using multibeam echosounder bathymetry data.” In Proc., 1st Int. Conf. and Exhibition on Underwater Acoustics, edited by J. S. Popodokis and L. Bjorne, 1421–1426. Bath, UK: Univ of Bath.
Luan, H. L., P. X. Ding, Z. B. Wang, and J. Z. Ge. 2017. “Process-based morphodynamic modeling of the Yangtze Estuary at a decadal timescale: Controls on estuarine evolution and future trends.” Geomorphology 290 (Aug): 347–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.04.016.
Lubomirski, K., E. Jezionek, and J. Nowak. 1999. Bathymethry and depth changes analysis of the Vistula mouth in 1999. [In Polish.] Gdańsk, Poland: Maritime Institute.
Makowski, J. 1995. The hundredth anniversary of the creating of the Vistula cross-cut 1895–1995. [In Polish.] Gdańsk, Poland: Institute of Hydro-Engineering, Polish Academy of Sciences.
Manthey, T., and J. Gilewski. 1980. “The intensity of suspended sediment and bedload transport in the estuarine reach of the Vistula River.” [In Polish.] Studia i Materiały Oceanologiczne 30: 179–214.
McManus, J. 2002. “Deltaic responses to changes in river regimes.” Mar. Chem. 79 (3–4): 155–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-4203(02)00061-0.
Morales, J. A. 1997. “Evolution and facies architecture of the mesotidal Guadiana River delta (S.W. Spain-Portugal).” Mar. Geol. 138 (1–2): 127–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-3227(97)00009-1.
Ostrowski, R., Z. Pruszak, A. Babakov, and B. Chubarenko. 2012. “Anthropogenic effects on coastal sediment fluxes in a nontidal gulf system.” J. Waterway, Port, Coastal Ocean Eng. 138 (6): 491–500. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000156.
Ostrowski, R., Z. Pruszak, M. Skaja, and M. Szmytkiewicz. 2010. “Variability of hydrodynamic and lithodynamic coastal processes in the east part of the Gulf of Gdańsk.” Arch. Hydro-Eng. Environ. Mech. 57 (2): 139–153.
Overeem I., and J. P. M. Syvitski. eds. 2009. Dynamics and vulnerability of delta systems. Geesthacht, Germany: GKSS Research Center.
Pedrozo-Acuña, A., A. Ruiz de Alegria-Arzaburu, I. Mariño-Tapia, C. Enriquez, and F. J. González Villareal. 2012. “Factors controlling flooding at the Tonalá river mouth (Mexico).” J. Flood Risk Manage. 5 (3): 226–244. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-318X.2012.01142.x.
Pruszak, Z., and M. Szmytkiewicz. 2015. Vistula delta. General mechanisms of development of river deltas and estuaries. [In Polish.] Gdańsk, Poland: Institute of Hydro-Engineering, Polish Academy of Sciences.
Pruszak, Z., P. Van Ninh, M. Szmytkiewicz, N. M. Hung, and R. Ostrowski. 2005. “Hydrology and morphology of two river mouth regions (temperate Vistula Delta and subtropical Red River Delta).” Oceanologia 47 (3): 365–385.
Restrepo, J. D., B. Kjerfve, I. D. Correa, and J. González. 2002. “Morphodynamics of a high discharge tropical delta, San Juan River, Pacific coast of Colombia.” Mar. Geol. 192 (4): 355–381. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-3227(02)00579-0.
Różyński, G., R. Ostrowski, Z. Pruszak, M. Szmytkiewicz, and M. Skaja. 2006. “Data-driven analysis of joint coastal extremes near a large non-tidal estuary in North Europe.” Estuarine Coastal Shelf Sci. 68 (1–2): 317–327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2006.01.022.
Sanchez-Arcilla, A., J. A. Jimenez, and H. I. Valdemoro. 1998. “The Ebro Delta: Morphodynamics and vulnerability.” J. Coastal Res. 14 (3): 755–772.
Słomianko, P. 1980. “The problem of the Vistula estuary in the work of the Maritime Institute from 1955 to 1970.” [In Polish.] Studia i Materiały Oceanologiczne 30: 123–138.
Syvitski, J. P., and Y. Saito. 2007. “Morphodynamics of deltas under the influence of humans.” Global Planet. Change 57 (3–4): 261–282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2006.12.001.
Szmytkiewicz, M. 2002. “Quasi 3D model of wave-induced currents in coastal zone.” Arch. Hydro-Eng. Environ. Mech. 49 (1): 57–81.
Tarnowska, M., and R. Zeidler. 1980. “The movement of water and sediments in the Vistula alluvial fan.” [In Polish.] Studia i Materiały Oceanologiczne 30: 215–248.
Wróblewski, R., S. Rudowski, Ł. Gajewski, P. Sitkiewicz, K. Szefler, M. Kałas, and J. Koszałka. 2015. “Changes of the Vistula River external delta in the period of 2009–2014.” Bull. Mar. Inst. 2 (1): 16–22. https://doi.org/10.5604/12307424.1158154.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 146Issue 1January 2020

History

Received: Oct 23, 2018
Accepted: Mar 21, 2019
Published online: Oct 11, 2019
Published in print: Jan 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Mar 11, 2020

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

Authors

Affiliations

Assistant Professor, Institute of Hydro-Engineering, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kościerska 7, 80-328 Gdańsk, Poland (corresponding author). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6743-6640. Email: [email protected]
Rafał Ostrowski, D.Sc. [email protected]
Associate Professor, Institute of Hydro-Engineering, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kościerska 7, 80-328 Gdańsk, Poland. Email: [email protected]

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Download citation

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

Cited by

View Options

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Article
$35.00
Add to cart

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Copy the content Link

Share with email

Email a colleague

Share