The Zeeland coast is constantly influenced by the water movement connected to the tides. Predicting this water movement is important, for instance, for the use of waterways.
It is known that the prevention of biotic – living entities – on the bottom influences, for example, the flowing away of water. Particularly animals that are seen in large numbers in the intertidal zone cause the water movements to change.
An important example of this process is the lugworm. This worm lives in the Zeeland intertidal zones and leaves behind tiny heaps of sand, wherever it has dug itself in. In places where lugworms are very common, this zone will stay wet longer after ebb tide. The many tiny heaps of sand simply retain water for a longer period of time.
Current and future water movements can be modelled better and, hence, be predicted better when the worm population has been mapped. This is attempted by means of satellite visuals showing the dispersion at low tide. Several organizations within Geomatics Business Park – including the NLR and Alkyon – are mapping the dispersion of lugworms and working on a better modelling of the connection between interventions in such areas and the effects this can be expected to have.
