Stefan van Damme - Lippenbroek Moneos

RESTORING ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONSIN A HEAVILY DISTURBED ESTUARY

Tom Maris, Stijn Temmerman & Patrick Meire

Pilot studyLippenbroek

How to restore estuarine nature in an area far below MHW?

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GENT

BOOM

LIERTEMSE

ZEMST

DUFFELITEGEM

SCHELLELOKEREN

VIERSEL

MECHELEN

WETTEREN

OOSTERLO

WERCHTER

ANTWERPEN

VILVOORDE

ZANDVLIET

DENDERMONDE

GROBBENDONK

TIDE Excursion map

Port of Antwerpen tour

Lippenbroek

KBR

Saeftinge

Ecology: CRT

- Introducing estuarine ecosystem

- Tidal regime in area

- Two times a day!

Ring Dike Lowered FCA dike

FCA estuary

Outlet

polder

Concept FCA – CRT safety, ecology and a new ecosystem

Safety: FCA

- Lowered dike stretch

- Critical tides: whole storage capacity

- Only few times/year!

Ring Dike Lowered FCA dike

CRT estuary

Outlet

Inlet

polder

Pilot project Lippenbroek

10 ha of tidal nature developping: May 2008

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

7/04 12/04 17/04 22/04 27/04 2/05 7/05

date

leve

l (m

TA

W)

Lippenbroek

Schelde (De Plaat)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

7/04 12/04 17/04 22/04 27/04 2/05 7/05

date

leve

l (m

TA

W)

Lippenbroek

Schelde (De Plaat)

Introducing macrotidal regime

Reduction of high water level by 3meter No reduction of spring – neap variation

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

0 2 4 6 8 10 12Time (hour)

Wat

er le

vel (

m T

AW

)

Polder

Estuary

sluice 4.7

Start inflow

stagnant

HW Maximum inflowStop inflowStart outflow



Intertidal habitat development

Tide - Sedimentation

-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

0 20 40 60 80 100

inundation frequency (%)

accr

etio

n ra

te (

cm/y

ear) Lippenbroek

"De Plaat"

Tidal marsh

Tidal flat

??

?



-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

0 20 40 60 80 100

inundation frequency (%)

accr

etio

n ra

te (

cm/y

ear) Lippenbroek

"De Plaat"

Low

Mean

High

Sediment(cm)

100000

200000

Spring 2006 Winter 2008100000

200000

Spring 2006 Winter 2008

100000

200000

spring 2006 Winter 2008

High

Mean

Low

Aquatic species+ insects

Aquatic species + insects

Terrestric species + Insects+ others

Max densityin fine sediments200000 / m²

Zoobenthos

0

5

10

15

20

Colonising species (40)Low inundation frequency:

30 species

-Wetland + ruderal species

-Salix and Phragmites potentiallydominant

Averaged inundation frequency:

27 species

-Ruderal + wetland species

-Salix, Phragmites, Typha: pot. dominant

-High inundation frequency:

10 species

- typical wetland species

- Typha potentially dominant

Phragmitesaustralis

Ranunculusrepens

Salix sp.

Lythrumsalicaria

Typha latifolia Irispseudacorus

Callitriche sp. Veronicabeccabunga

Alismaplantago-aquatica

Vegetation: colonisation of bare sites

Water quality

Water quality: oxygen

02468

101214

16/0

5/20

06

3/07

/200

6

11/0

9/20

06

25/1

0/20

06

20/0

3/20

07

21/0

3/20

07

4/06

/200

7

5/06

/200

7

1/10

/200

7

DSi

(mg/

l SiO

2)

-10

0

10

20

30

40

DSI

(kg

SiO

2)

Si inflow conc. Si retention

Water quality: Silica

Delivery when DSi is limiting

Water quality: Nitrogen

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

16/0

5/20

06

3/07

/200

6

11/0

9/20

06

25/1

0/20

06

20/0

3/20

07

21/0

3/20

07

4/06

/200

7

5/06

/200

7

1/10

/200

7

volu

me

(m_)

0

5

10

15

20

TDIN

(kg)

tidal volume N retention

On average 1 kg N retention per ha per tide

???

Ring dike

Overflow dike

CRT

FCA-CRT: sustainable?

Sedimentation

Flattening of the areaChanging inundation frequencies: decrease of accretion?

2.25

2.50

2.75

3.00

3.25

jan

06

apr 0

6

jul 0

6

okt 0

6

jan

07

apr 0

7

jul 0

7

okt 0

7

jan

08

apr 0

8

datum

hoog

telig

ging

(m

TA

W)

S2

S4

S5

S7

S9

S10

S4

2.40

2.50

2.60

2.70

2.80

jan

06

apr 0

6

jul 0

6

okt 0

6

jan

07

apr 0

7

jul 0

7

okt 0

7

jan

08

apr 0

8

jul 0

8

okt 0

8

jan

09

apr 0

9

jul 0

9

datum

hoog

telig

ging

(m

TA

W)

S4

???

future

date

Elev

atio

n (m

TA

W)

Development of cross-section 1 (main channel)

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

0 5 10 15 20 25

Distance along cross-section (m)

Ele

vati

on

(m

TA

W)

T0T1T2


0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

0 5 10 15 20 25


Ele

vati

on

(m

TA

W)

T0T1T2


0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

0 5 10 15 20 25


Ele

vati

on

(m

TA

W)

T0T1T2


0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

0 5 10 15 20 25


Ele

vati

on

(m

TA

W)

T0T1T2

Erosion

Tidal marsh restoration in area belowMHW is possible

Tidal regime and sedimentation can betuned

Sedimentation rate can be reduced topreserve storage capacity

Sedimentation rate can be maximased toprepare a low site for succesful managedrealignment

Lippenbroek conclusion









Ready for the big work?

Thanks

ecobe

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