Long‐term morphological impacts of the opening of a new inlet on a multiple inlet system

In this study, the artificial opening of a new tidal inlet in an existing multiple inlet system is shown to significantly modify the adjacent nearshore and backbarrier morphology, as well as both updrift and downdrift shorelines. The study focuses on the dominant Faro‐Olhão and Armona inlets in the Ria Formosa barrier island system of southern Portugal. The equilibrium state and future evolution of the system are inferred using a range of morphological and hydrodynamic indicators, including the evolution of the inlet cross‐section, changes in tidal prism, and changes in the dimensions (length and area) of barrier islands. The results reveal how the morphology of an interconnected two‐inlet bay system and the adjacent coastlines has evolved following the artificial opening and stabilization of Faro‐Olhão inlet since 1929. A clear relationship between barrier island size, inlet cross‐section/width, and tidal prism is demonstrated. Decadal time‐scale changes in the tidal prism of the two interconnected inlets are shown to be the main mechanism responsible for morphological change, and have resulted in the remobilization of ebb‐tidal delta sediments deposited during previous hydraulic configurations. These changes, in turn, have contributed to a narrowing of Armona inlet and an increase in the size of Culatra Island. The work highlights the importance of ebb‐tidal deltas both as sand reservoirs and as conduits through which sand exchange between estuaries or lagoons and the open coast is regulated. It also shows the pivotal role of ebb‐tidal deltas in trapping longshore‐transported sediment and releasing it again during periods of increased wave activity. The findings have implications regarding the accurate assessment of the stability of multiple inlet systems. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Topographic forcing of tidal sandbar patterns for irregular estuary planforms

Estuaries typically show converging planforms from the sea into the land. Nevertheless, their planform is rarely perfectly exponential and often shows curvature and the presence of embayments. Here we test the degree to which the shapes and dimensions of tidal sandbars depend on estuary planform. We assembled a dataset with 35 estuary planforms and properties of 190 tidal bars to induce broad‐brush but significant empirical relations between channel planform, hydraulic geometry and bar pattern, and tested a linear stability theory for bar pattern. We found that the location where bars form is largely controlled by the excess width of a channel, which is calculated as the observed channel width minus the width of an ideal exponentially widening estuary. In general, the summed width of bars approximates the excess width as measured in the along‐channel variation of three estuaries for which bathymetry was available as well as for the local measurements in the 35 investigated estuaries. Bar dimensions can be predicted by either the channel width or the tidal prism, because channel width also strongly depends on local tidal prism. Also braiding index was predicted within a factor of 2 from excess width divided by the predicted bar width. Our results imply that estuary planform shape, including mudflats and saltmarsh as well as bar pattern, depend on inherited Holocene topography and lithology and that eventually convergent channels will form if sufficient sediment is available. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Regularities of hydrological processes in the Chesapeake Bay (USA): Case study of a classical estuary

The main regularities of hydrological and hydrological-environmental processes occurring within the complex estuary, the Chesapeake Bay and the mouths of its tributaries, are discussed. The peculiarities of the estuary morphological structure, including the structures of tidal and net currents, salinity and water turbidity fields and their variability, the environmental conditions, and their human-induced changes. Using the Chesapeake Bay as an example, it became possible to reveal the basic features of classical estuaries subject to a considerable impact of river runoff and featuring mixing of river and sea water and moderate stratification of the water mass. It is shown that the regularities of hydrological processes in the Chesapeake Bay are typical of many mouth water bodies of estuarine type (inlets, drowned river valleys, lagoons, and tidal estuaries proper).     

Effects of estuarine mudflat formation on tidal prism and large-scale morphology in experiments

Human interference in estuaries has led to increasing problems of mud, such as hyper-turbidity with adverse ecological effects and siltation of navigation channels and harbours. To deal with this mud sustainably, it is important to understand its long-term effects on the morphology and dynamics of estuaries. The aim of this study is to understand how mud affects the morphological evolution of estuaries. We focus on the effects of fluvial mud supply on the spatial distribution of mudflats and on how this influences estuary width, depth, surface area and dynamics over time. Three physical experiments with self-forming channels and shoals were conducted in a new flume type suitable for tidal experiments: the Metronome. In two of the experiments, we added nutshell grains as mud simulant, which is transported in suspension. Time-lapse images of every tidal cycle and digital elevation models for every 500 cycles were analysed for the three experiments. Mud settles in distinct locations, forming mudflats on bars and sides of the estuary, where the bed elevation is higher. Two important effects of mud were observed: the first is the slight cohesiveness of mud that causes stability on bars limiting vertical erosion, although the bank erosion rate by migrating channels is unaffected. Secondly, mud fills inactive areas and deposits at higher elevations up to the high-water level and therefore decreases the tidal prism. These combined effects cause a decrease in dynamics in the estuary and lead to near-equilibrium planforms that are smaller in volume and especially narrower upstream, with increased bar heights and no channel deepening. This trend is in contrast to channel deepening in rivers by muddier floodplain formation. These results imply large consequences for long-term morphodynamics in estuaries that become muddier due to management practices, which deteriorate ecological quality of intertidal habitats but may create potential area for marshes. © 2018 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

The daily‐scale entrance dynamics of intermittently open/closed estuaries

Intermittently open/closed estuaries (IOCE) are a dynamic form of estuary characterised by periodic entrance closure to the ocean. Entrance closure is a function of the relative balance between on and offshore sediment transport with closures occurring during periods of low fluvial discharge whereby the estuary ebb‐tidal prism is reduced. Although the broad scale processes of entrance closure are becoming better understood, there remains limited knowledge on channel morphodynamics during an individual closure event. In this study, the entrance dynamics of three IOCE on the coast of Victoria, Australia, were monitored over a daily timescale following both artificial and natural openings. The influence of changing marine and fluvial conditions on the relative sedimentation rate within the entrance channel was examined. IOCE in Victoria showed two distinct modes of entrance closure: (a) lateral accretion, whereby the estuary gradually closes by longshore drift‐driven spit growth during low river flows; and (b) vertical accretion, where the channel rapidly aggrades under high (> 2 m), near‐normal waves. During storms, when fluvial discharge and wave heights simultaneously increase, large swells will not always close the mouth due to an increase in the ebb‐tidal prism. The estuary water depth and the maximum channel dimensions following opening were not proportional to the opening duration, with this being a function of the wave and fluvial conditions occurring following lagoon drainage. Based on the findings of this work, implementing a successful artificial entrance opening is dependent on reduced onshore sedimentation rates which occur when wave energy is low (< 2 m Hs) relative to river flow. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

What is the future fate of estuaries given nutrient over-enrichment,freshwater diversion and low flows?

Freshwater inflow is central to the definition of estuaries and if we lose control of the quantity of freshwater flow or discharge (including seasonal timing) to estuaries, then freshwater water quality has the potential to become a moot issue in estuarine ecosystems (Definition of estuaries: estuaries (aestus = tide) are physico-chemically, geomorphically, and biotically diverse ecosystems. Although numerous definitions of estuaries exist, we prefer the following: an estuary is a partially enclosed coastal water body in which freshwater runoff, often seasonally and episodically pulsed, dilutes salty ocean water and the biotic structure is influenced by dynamic tidal action and associated salinity gradients and reef building organisms and wetlands influence development and evolution of ecological structure and function (see for expanded definition)).     

Defining an estuary using the Hilbert-Huang transform

Abstract

Researchers have used various physical, chemical, or topographic features to define estuaries, based on the needs of their particular subject. The principal features of estuaries are the tides that influence their water stages; thus, the boundaries of an estuary can be determined based on whether the water stage is subject to tidal influence. However, the water stage is also influenced by the upstream river discharge. A hydrograph of water stage will therefore include both non-stationary and nonlinear features. Here, we use the Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT), which allows us to process such non-stationary and nonlinear signals, to decompose the water-stage hydrographs recorded at different gauging stations in an estuary into their intrinsic mode function (IMF) components and residuals. We then analyse the relationships between the frequencies of IMFs and known tidal components. A frequency correlation indicates that the water stage of the station is subject to tidal influences and is located within the estuary. The spatial distribution of the stations that are subject to tidal influences can then be used to define the estuary boundaries. We used data from gauging stations in the estuary region of Taiwan's Tanshui River to assess the feasibility of using the HHT to define an estuary. The results show that the HHT is a dependable and easy method for determining the boundaries of an estuary.

Citation Chen, Y.-C., Kao, S.-P., and Chiang, H.-W., 2013. Defining an estuary using the Hilbert-Huang transform. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (4), 841–853.     

Hydrodynamic effects at the entry of tidal waves into estuaries

The phenomenon of an increase in tidal wave height in cone-shaped estuaries is studied. The effect of estuary narrowing in the direction of tidal wave propagation (the hydrodynamic effect of confusor) is among the factors amplifying the tide. An opposite effect of turbulent friction, whose manifestation increases with decreasing bay’s depth, conversely, reduces tide amplitude because of the dissipation of tidal wave energy. Stokes diffusion layer also plays a significant role in the formation of wave transformation regime. In an estuary with a median depth, which is much greater than the Stokes layer thickness, the confusor effect is stronger and tide amplitude increases at estuary head. At depths lesser than Stokes layer thickness, the turbulent friction dominates over the confusor effect and the amplitude of tidal wave decreases at the head of the estuary. The depths of the order of Stokes layer thickness cause an interesting intermediate phenomenon—at the entrance into the estuary, first the effect of friction manifests itself, resulting in a decrease in the amplitude of tidal wave, but later, the effect of confusor starts dominating, and the amplitude of tidal wave again increases toward estuary head. When the period of tidal wave coincides with seiche period, a resonance enhancement of seiche oscillations takes place in the estuary.     

Seasonal variation of river and tide energy in the Yangtze estuary,China

In many large estuaries there are significant variations in flow conditions due to the interaction between tide (with spring–neap changes) and river discharge (with wet–dry seasons), which is key to understanding the evolution of the morphology and the resultant equilibrium state. To explore whether there exists an equilibrium state, and what might control such a state in such a dynamic environment, both numerical and analytical methods have been used to investigate the relative importance of tide and river contributions to the work done locally and globally over a wide range of discharge conditions in the Yangtze estuary. In particular, we have quantified the contributions from the tidal flow, the river flow and the tide–river interaction in terms of energy and its dissipation under different river discharge conditions. Model results suggest that there is a state of minimum tidal work for the case representing the wet season, when river and tide are doing uniform work locally and minimum work globally, within the bi‐directional tidal reach for tide and along the whole estuary for river. We also observe that the system is not optimized for other conditions (peak discharge and low flows during the dry season), but the system would tend to do the minimum work possible given the constraints on the system (e.g. imposed forcing conditions and available sediment supply). Results, therefore, are consistent with the use of these two energetic optimization principles, and the proposed method could be applicable to other alluvial estuaries. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tidal estuary width convergence: Theory and form in North Australian estuaries

In order to better understand the relations between tidal estuary shape and geomorphic processes, the width profiles of 79 tidal channels from within 30 estuaries in northern Australia have been extracted from LANDSAT 5 imagery using GIS. Statistics describing the shape and width convergence of individual channels and entire estuaries (which can contain several channels) are analysed along with proxies for the tidal range and fluvial inputs of the estuaries in question. The width profiles of most individual channels can be reasonably approximated with an exponential curve, and this is also true of the width profiles of estuaries. However, the shape of this exponential width profile is strongly related to the mouth width of the system. Channels and estuaries with larger mouths generally exhibit a more pronounced ‘funnel shape’ than those with narrower mouths, reflecting the hydrodynamic importance of the distance over which the channel or estuarine width converges. At the estuarine scale, this ‘convergence length’ also tends to be higher in estuaries which have larger catchments relative to their size. No clear relation between the estuarine width convergence length and tidal range could be discerned within the Northern Australian estuaries although, when these data are combined with data from other studies, a weak relationship emerges. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigation of hydraulics transport time scales within the Arvand River estuary,Iran

Transport time scales are key parameters for understanding the hydrodynamic and biochemical processes within estuaries. In this study, the flushing and residence times within the Arvand River estuary have been estimated using a two‐dimensional hydrodynamic model called CE‐QUAL‐W2. The model has been calibrated and verified by two different sets of field data and using the k‐ε vertical eddy diffusivity scheme. Flushing time has been estimated using different methods such as the tidal prism and fraction of freshwater methods. Moreover, residence times have been investigated using pulse residence time, estuarine residence time and remnant function approaches. The results have shown that different methods yield different time scales, and freshwater inflow has the greatest impact upon estimation of residence time, whereas tidal circulation hardly contributes to residence time at all. It has also been shown that the neap‐spring circulation and start phase of simulations have negligible effects on the Arvand's time scales. The investigation of bathymetry showed that two sills of the estuary tend to significantly increase residence time. Understanding the applicability of these time scales and their estimation approaches helps us to evaluate the water quality management of estuaries. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tidal inlet velocity asymmetry in diurnal regimes

Tidal velocity asymmetry at inlets influences sediment transport pathways and the morphological evolution of estuaries/lagoons connected to these inlets. Generation of overtides is generally seen as the main cause of tidal velocity asymmetry. Whilst majority of studies examining tidal velocity asymmetry have concentrated on inlets located in semi-diurnal tidal regimes, here, attention is focused on the processes responsible for causing tidal velocity asymmetry at inlets located in diurnal tidal regimes. Using field data collected from three West Australian inlets, it is shown that tidal velocity asymmetry in this type of system is caused by the oceanic tidal conditions. It is also shown that in these systems, the occurrence of flood/ebb dominance can be determined using oceanic tidal elevations, which are more readily available than inlet current data. In contrast to semi-diurnal systems the flood/ebb dominance in diurnal systems varies throughout the year depending on the phase angle relationship between the significant oceanic tidal constituents. The net sediment transport in to/out of these systems, which determines the morphological evolution of the systems, is shown to be governed more by the degree of tidal velocity asymmetry rather than the number of occurrences or duration of flood/ebb-dominant periods.     

The response of circulation and salinity in a micro-tidal estuary to sub-tidal oscillations in coastal sea surface elevation

Conceptual models of circulation theorise that the dominant forces controlling estuarine circulation are freshwater discharge from the riverine section (landward), tidal forcing from the ocean boundary, and gravitational circulation resulting from along-estuary gradients in density. In micro-tidal estuaries, sub-tidal water level changes (classified as those with periods between 3 and 10 days) with amplitudes comparable to the spring tidal range can significantly influence the circulation and distribution of water properties. Field measurements obtained from the Swan River Estuary, a diurnal, micro-tidal estuary in south-western Australia, indicated that sub-tidal water level changes at the ocean boundary were predominantly from remotely forced continental shelf waves (CSWs). The sub-tidal water levels had maximum amplitudes of 0.8 m, were comparable to the maximum tidal range of 0.6 m, propagated into the estuary to its tidal limit, and modified water levels in the whole estuary over several days. These oscillations dominated the circulation and distribution of water properties in the estuary through changing the salt wedge location and increasing the bottom water salinity by 7 units over 3 days. The observed salt wedge excursion forced by CSW was up to 5 km, whereas the maximum tidal excursion was 1.2 km. The response of the residual currents and the salinity distribution lagged behind the water level changes by ∼24 h. It was proposed that the sub-tidal forcing at the ocean boundary, which changed the circulation, salinity, and dissolved oxygen in the upper estuary, was due to a combination of two processes: (1) a gravity current generated by a process similar to a lock exchange mechanism and (2) amplified along-estuary density gradients in the upper estuary, which enhanced the gravitational circulation in the estuary. The salt intrusions under the sub-tidal forcing caused the rapid movement of anoxic water upstream, with significant implications for water quality and estuarine health.     

Numerical modelling of morphodynamics—Vilaine Estuary

The main objective of this paper is to develop a method to simulate long-term morphodynamics of estuaries dominated by fine sediments, which are subject to both tidal flow and meteorologically induced variations in freshwater run-off and wave conditions. The method is tested on the Vilaine Estuary located in South Brittany, France. The estuary is subject to a meso–macrotidal regime. The semi-diurnal tidal range varies from around 2.5 to 5 m at neap and spring, respectively. The freshwater input is controlled by a dam located approximately 8 km from the mouth of the estuary. Sediments are characterised as mostly fines, but more sandy areas are also found. The morphology of the estuary is highly influenced by the dam. It is very dynamic and changes in a complicated manner with the run-off from the dam, the tide and the wave forcing at the mouth of the estuary. Extensive hydrodynamic and sediment field data have been collected in the past and provide a solid scientific basis for studying the estuary. Based on a conceptual understanding of the morphodynamics, a numerical morphological model with coupled hydrodynamic, surface wave and sediment transport models is formulated. The numerical models are calibrated to reproduce sediment concentrations, tidal flat altimetry and overall sediment fluxes. Scaling factors are applied to a reference year to form quasi-realistic hydrodynamic forcing and river run-off, which allow for the simulations to be extended to other years. The simulation results are compared with observed bathymetric changes in the estuary during the period 1998–2005. The models and scaling factors are applied to predict the morphological development over a time scale of up to 10 years. The influence of the initial conditions and the sequence of external hydrodynamic forcing, with respect to the morphodynamic response of the estuary, are discussed.     

Effect of tidal forcing on a subterranean estuary

Groundwater flow and chemical transport in subterranean estuaries are poorly understood despite their potentially important implications for chemical fluxes from aquifers to coastal waters. Here, a numerical study of the dynamics in a subterranean estuary subject to tidal forcing is presented. Simulations show that salt transport associated with tidally driven seawater recirculation leads to the formation of an upper saline plume in the intertidal region. Computed transit times and flow velocities indicate that this plume represents a more active zone for mixing and reaction than the dispersion zone of the lower, classical salt wedge. Proper conceptualisation of this surficial mixing zone extends our understanding of processes within the subterranean estuary. Numerical tracer simulations reveal that tidal forcing may reduce the threat of a land-derived contaminant discharging to the marine environment by modifying the subsurface transport pathway and local geochemical conditions. Mixing and stratification in the subterranean estuary are strongly affected by both inland and tidal forcing. Based on the estuarine analogy we present a systematic classification of subterranean estuaries.     

Contemporary hydrodynamics and morphological change of a microtidal estuary: a numerical modelling study

Contemporary hydrodynamics and morphological change are examined in a shallow microtidal estuary, located on a wave-dominated coast (Port Stephens, NSW, Australia). Process-based numerical modelling is undertaken by combining modules for hydrodynamics, waves, sediment transport and bathymetry updates. Model results suggest that the complex estuarine bathymetry and geometry give rise to spatial variations in the tidal currents and a marked asymmetry between ebb and flood flows. Sediment transport paths correspond with tidal asymmetry patterns. The SE storms significantly enhance the quantities of sediment transport, while locally generated waves by the westerly strong winds also are capable of causing sediment entrainment and contribute to the delta morphological change. The wave/wind-induced currents are not uniform with flow over shoals driven in the same direction as waves/winds while a reverse flow occurring in the adjacent channel. The conceptual sediment transport model developed in this study shows flood-directed transport occurs on the flood ramp while ebb-directed net transport occurs in the tidal channels and at the estuary entrance. Accretion of the intertidal sand shoals and deepening of tidal channels, as revealed by the model, suggest that sediment-infilling becomes advanced, which may lead to an ebb-dominated estuary. It is likely that a switch from flood- to ebb-dominance occurs during the estuary evolution, and the present-day estuary acts as a sediment source rather than sediment sink to the coastal system. This is conflictive to the expectation drawn from the estuarine morphology; however, it is consistent with previous research suggesting that, in an infilling estuary, an increase in build-up of intertidal flats/shoals can eventually shift an estuary towards ebb dominance. Thus, field data are needed to validate the result presented here, and further study is required to investigate a variety of estuaries in the Australian area.     

A morphological investigation of marine transgression in estuaries

The landscape setting of estuaries varies widely and is an important aspect of determining how they evolve. This paper focusses on alluvial estuaries in river valleys and how they respond to sea level rise. We examine the implications of marine transgression, as a response to sea level rise, where the estuary moves upwards and landwards to maintain its position in the tidal frame (so-called stratigraphic rollover). Here we encapsulate such kinematic movement of the estuary morphology using a ‘morphokinematic’ model, to assess the potential response to sea level rise and sediment supply. The model of the estuary form includes a single convergent channel, intertidal and surrounding floodplains (the valley) and allows the relative importance of the space available for deposition of sediments, the accommodation space, to be investigated as a function of rates of sea level rise and sediment supply. The transgression of the system is determined using a sediment mass balance, taking account of any supply from the river and marine environment. Model results confirm that the transgression distance, measured as the distance the entity moves landward, varies in proportion to the change in accommodation space, which mainly depends on the floodplain area. As the size of the floodplain reduces, the transgression distance is less and the system becomes much more sensitive to changes in the rate of sea level rise or changes in sediment supply. The greater demand for sediment when a floodplain is present results in greater cannibalization of the estuary form (i.e. greater landward movement) to meet the sediment demand. When the floodplain is disconnected from the estuary, the synergistic relationship is lost and the accommodation space increases. The capacity for restoration will depend on the availability of sediment and the prevailing rate of sea level rise.     

Bio‐geomorphic effects on tidal channel evolution: impact of vegetation establishment and tidal prism change

The long‐term (10–100 years) evolution of tidal channels is generally considered to interact with the bio‐geomorphic evolution of the surrounding intertidal platform. Here we studied how the geometric properties of tidal channels (channel drainage density and channel width) change as (1) vegetation establishes on an initially bare intertidal platform and (2) sediment accretion on the intertidal platform leads to a reduction in the tidal prism (i.e. water volume that during a tidal cycle floods to and drains back from the intertidal platform). Based on a time series of aerial photographs and digital elevation models, we derived the channel geometric properties at different time steps during the evolution from an initially low‐elevated bare tidal flat towards a high‐elevated vegetated marsh. We found that vegetation establishment causes a marked increase in channel drainage density. This is explained as the friction exerted by patches of pioneer vegetation concentrates the flow in between the vegetation patches and promotes there the erosion of channels. Once vegetation has established, continued sediment accretion and tidal prism reduction do not result in significant further changes in channel drainage density and in channel widths. We hypothesize that this is explained by a partitioning of the tidal flow between concentrated channel flow, as long as the vegetation is not submerged, and more homogeneous sheet flow as the vegetation is deeply submerged. Hence, a reduction of the tidal prism due to sediment accretion on the intertidal platform, reduces especially the volume of sheet flow (which does not affect channel geometry), while the concentrated channel flow (i.e. the landscape forming volume of water) is not much affected by the tidal prism reduction. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estuary water-stage forecasting by using radial basis function neural network

The Radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) has been successfully applied to many tasks due to its powerful properties in classification and functional approximation. This paper presents a novel RBFNN for water-stage forecasting in an estuary under high flood and tidal effects. The RBFNN adopts a hybrid two-stage learning scheme, unsupervised and supervised learning. In the first scheme, fuzzy min–max clustering is proposed for choosing best patterns for cluster representation in an efficient and automatic way. The second scheme uses supervised learning, which is a multivariate linear regression method to produce a weighted sum of the output from the hidden layer. Since this network has only one layer using a supervised learning algorithm, its training process is much faster than the error back propagation based multilayer perceptrons. Moreover, only one parameter, θ, must be determined manually. The other parameters used in this model can be adjusted automatically by model training. The water-stage data of the Tanshui River under tidal effect are used to construct a water-stage forecasting model that can also be used during flood. The results show that the RBFNN can be applied successfully and provide high accuracy and reliability of water-stage forecasting in an estuary.     

The impacts of the large-scale hydraulic structures on tidal dynamics in open-type bay: numerical study in Jakarta Bay

The construction of a Giant Sea Wall (GSW) complex in Jakarta Bay has been proposed to protect Jakarta against flood in the Master Plan for National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD). However, these large-scale hydraulic structures could significantly change the tidal dynamics in Jakarta Bay. This research investigates the potential impacts of a GSW on the tidal dynamics, including tides, currents, and residual currents in Jakarta Bay using a validated numerical model (Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM)). Results show that the bay is diurnal with a maximum tidal range of ~0.9 m. The flow is mainly in an east-west direction with a maximum depth-mean current speed of up to 0.3 ms^?1. The construction of a GSW would modulate the tidal dynamics by changing the bathymetry, tidal prism, wind effect, and tidal choking effect in the bay. The maximum tidal range would be slightly increased due to the reduced tidal prism of the bay and the increased tidal choking effect. The current would penetrate into the west reservoir through the gates and channels between the artificial islands, with peak speed jets appearing at the gates (~0.3 ms^?1), due to tidal choking. A similar peak current speed appears near the right wing of the GSW due to the pressure gradient would be created by the wing of the GSW. Closing the gates would mainly affect the currents inside the west reservoir. The residual current would be slightly increased after the construction of the GSW. An eddy would be formed at the bottom level near the right wing of the GSW. The direction of the residual current is landward instead of seaward at the surface level outside the GSW. The impact of wind on surface currents would be much reduced due to the decreased water surface area. Although this study is site specific, the findings may have a wider applicability to the impacts of large-scale hydraulic structures on tidal dynamics in open-type bays.