Spatial gradients in bank stability response in macrotidal environments: Inferences from the Severn estuary (UK)

Abstract

In this study, we present a synthetic model summarising the main sedimentary and morphologic factors that drive spatial–temporal variations in bank stability through an exemplar macrotidal estuary. In contrast to previous studies that tend to only consider localised variations in the stability of small-scale banks, here the focus is on understanding the bank stability patterns at the scale of the whole Severn Estuary (UK). The results show that during falling tides, the bank sediments persist in a near-saturated state giving elevated bank pore pressures that coincide in time with declines in the hydrostatic confining pressure, leading to destabilisation of the bank. In contrast, bank stabilisation predominantly occurs during rising tides when the hydrostatic confining pressure is able to dominate over the destabilisation processes. Cohesive macrotidal estuaries similar to the Severn Estuary, tend to present a generalised decrease in the instability moving from the outer estuary where the tidal oscillations are more significant, to the inner part of the system where such oscillations are reduced and coupled with less high banks.