Abstract
Sandbanks, the largest of bed patterns in shallow sandy seas, pose a potential risk to shipping. They are also valuable elements of natural coastal protection, dissipating the energy of waves. In the Southern Bight of the North Sea, several sandbank areas have been reported in the literature. However, based on an objective crest–trough analysis of the bathymetry of the Dutch continental shelf, the present study shows that sandbanks are more widespread than commonly considered. These banks are relatively low, presumably explaining why they have not been documented before. This widespread occurrence of sandbanks in the North Sea is in agreement with theoretical predictions based on stability analysis techniques. The possible interference between large-scale human activity and low-amplitude open-shelf ridges implies that one should be careful not to overlook these patterns if none should appear in a preliminary (visual) assessment. The only part of the Southern Bight in which no ridges can be seen is a circular area with a diameter of about 50 km near the mouth of the river Rhine. Here, freshwater outflow affects the direction of tidal ellipses and residual flow, and suppresses the formation of open ridges.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bern é S, Trentesaux A, Stolk A, Missiaen T, Debatist M (1994) Architecture and long-term evolution of a tidal sandbank—the Middelkerke Bank (Southern North Sea). Mar Geol 121(1/2):57–72
Besio G, Blondeaux P, Vittori G (2006) On the formation of sand waves and sand banks. J Fluid Mechanics 557:1–27
Calvete D, Falqu és A, de Swart HE, Walgreen M (2001) Modelling the formation of shoreface-connected sand ridges on storm-dominated inner shelves. J Fluid Mechanics 441:169–193
Dalrymple RW, Hoogendoorn EL (1997) Erosion and deposition on migrating shoreface-attached ridges, Sable Island, eastern Canada. Geosci Can 24(1):25–36
de Boer GJ, Pietrzak JD, Winterwerp JC (2006) On the vertical structure of the Rhine region of freshwater influence. Ocean Dynamics 56(3/4):198–216
Dyer KR, Huntley DA (1999) The origin, classification and modelling of sand banks and ridges. Cont Shelf Res 19:1285–1330
Fitch F, Thomson K, Gaffney V (2005) Late Pleistocene and Holocene depositional systems and the palaeogeography of the Dogger Bank, North Sea. Quat Res 64(2):185–196
Fluit CCJM, Hulscher SJMH (2002) Morphological response to a North Sea bed depression induced by gas mining. J Geophys Res 107(C3):8–1–8-9 DOI 10.1029/2001JC000851
Goff JA, Swift DJP, Duncan CS, Mayer LA, Hughes-Clarke J (1999) High-resolution swath sonar investigation of sand ridge, dune and ribbon morphology in the offshore environment of the New Jersey margin. Mar Geol 161(2/4):307–337
Harris PT, Pattiaratchi CB, Cole AR, Keene JB (1992) Evolution of subtidal sandbanks in Moreton Bay, Eastern Australia. Mar Geol 103(1/3):225–247
Houbolt JJH (1968) Recent sediments in the Southern Bight of the North Sea. Geol Mijnb 47(4):245–273
Hulscher SJMH (1996) Tidal-induced large-scale regular bed form patterns in a three-dimensional shallow water model. J Geophys Res 101(C9):20727–20744
Hulscher SJMH, van den Brink GM (2001) Comparison between predicted and observed sand waves and sand banks in the North Sea. J Geophys Res 106(C5):9327–9338
Huthnance J (1982) On one mechanism forming linear sand banks. Estuar Coastal Shelf Sci 14:461–474
Knaapen MAF (2005) Sand wave migration predictor based on shape information. J Geophys Res 110:F4 DOI 10.1029/2004JF000195
Knaapen MAF, Hulscher SJMH, DeVriend HJ, Stolk A (2001) A new type of bedwave. Geophys Res Lett 28(7):1323–1326
Knaapen MAF, van Berge Henegouw CN, Hu YY (2005) Quantifying bedform migration using multi-beam sonar. Geo-Mar Lett 25(5):306–314
Lanckneus J, De Moor G, Stolk A (1994) Environmental setting, morphology and volumetric evolution of the Middelkerke Bank (southern North Sea). Mar Geol 121:1–21
O’Connor BA (1992) Prediction of seabed sand waves. In: Partridge W (ed) Computational modelling of seas and coastal regions. Computational Mechanics, Southampton, pp 322–338
Off T (1963) Rhythmic linear sand bodies caused by tidal currents. Bull Am Assoc Petrol Geol 47(2):324–341
Park SC, Han HS, Yoo DG (2003) Transgressive sand ridges on the mid-shelf of the Southern Sea of Korea (Korea Strait): formation and development in high-energy environments. Mar Geol 193(1/2):1–18
Pingree RD, Griffiths DK (1979) Sand transport paths around the British Isles resulting from M2 and M4 tidal interactions. Mar Biol Assoc UK 59:497–513
Roos PC, Hulscher SJMH (2003) Large-scale seabed dynamics in offshore morphology: modeling human intervention. Rev Geophys 41(2):1010 DOI 10.1029/2002RG000120
Roos PC, Hulscher SJMH, van Damme RJ, Knaapen MAF (2004) The cross-sectional shape of tidal sandbanks: modeling and observations. J Geophys Res 109:F02003 DOI 10.1029/2003JF000070
Swift DJP, Parker G, Lanfredi NW, Perillo G, Figge K (1978) Shoreface-connected sand ridges on American and European shelves: a comparison. Estuar Coastal Mar Sci 7(3):257–273
Trentesaux A, Stolk A, Bern é S (1999) Sedimentology and stratigraphy of a tidal sand bank in the southern North Sea. Mar Geol 159:253–272
Trowbridge JH (1995) A mechanism for the formation and maintenance of shore-oblique sand ridges on storm-dominated shelves. J Geophys Res 100(C8):16071–16086
van Alphen JSLJ, Damoiseaux MA (1989) A geomorphological map of the Dutch shoreface and adjacent part of the continental shelf. Geol Mijnb 68:433–444
van de Meene JWH, van Rijn LC (2000) The shoreface-connected ridges along the central Dutch coast. Part 1. Field observations. Cont Shelf Res 20:2295–2323
van der Molen J (2002) The influence of tides, wind and waves on the net sand transport in the North Sea. Cont Shelf Res 22(18/19):2739–2762
van der Veen HH, Hulscher SJMH, Knaapen MAF (2006) Grain size dependency in the occurrence of sand waves. Ocean Dynamics 56:228–234
van Rijn LC, Soulsby RL, Hoekstra P, Davies AG (2005) SANDPIT, Sand Transport and Morphology of Offshore Mining Pits. Aqua, Amsterdam
Whitehouse R (1998) Scour at marine structures: a manual for practical applications. Thomas Telford, London
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Knaapen, M.A.F. Sandbank occurrence on the Dutch continental shelf in the North Sea. Geo-Mar Lett 29, 17–24 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-008-0105-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-008-0105-7