WP2a Availability (Deltares) will explore and quantify the effect of interventions on the availability of sediments.  Crucial herein is that the amount of sediment available in the Wadden Sea is finite, with an annual mud supply below 15 million ton/year. SLR will lead to a reduction in available sediment, either naturally by enhanced sedimentation resulting from SLR, or resulting from interventions aiming at trapping sediment.

WP2b Turbidity (BAW) determines the present-day reference concentration of suspended sediments, its natural variability and the situation considering sea-level rise and changes in substrate using detailed 3D numerical models. The spatial scope is the entire Wadden Sea, which allows to integrate the high resolution local models of the individual living labs, other areas of interest and to have a system wide view of changes in suspended sediment transport and hence turbidity or visibility. Moreover, the impact of sediment disposal and nourishment schemes on the suspended sediment dynamics and turbidity will be evaluated in terms of changes in visibility. 

WP2c Ecotopes (TUD) explores reasons why the morphology of some of the intertidal areas in the Wadden Sea grow much faster than SLR, probably in relation to earlier interventions. We analyse data to determine historic changes and models to understand these changes and to predict future changes.  The output of WP2c is a prediction of future habitat suitability and strategies how and when optimise habitat suitability. 
 

WP2d Variability (NIOZ) By deploying Surface Elevation Dynamic (SED) sensors across the intertidal Wadden Sea area, we will evaluate how changes in physical environmental factors such as waves and tides, drive changes in sediment dynamics. The central aim is to understand how different intertidal biota respond to such changes in the local sediment environment. 

WP2e substrate (CAU-IfG) will explore dynamics of sediment transport in tidal flat systems. Mainly based on computer models we analyse how different sediment fractions travel under the forcing of waves, tides, and wind driven currents. Sediment pathways under todays and hypothetical future conditions will be discussed. We aim to explain the counter-intuitive situation of the current tidal flat growth rates exceeding sea-level rise, as indicted by recent morphological analyses.