Simon –
Although this image is directly derived through remote measurement, to the lay person it gives a sensual insight into the workings of a tidal estuary, whilst the force of tide and weather driven waves influence the shoreline on the flood, gravity dictates the ebb. One system gives way to the other in endless cycle creating their own structures. The advantage of remote sensing is that it not only informs but also gives play to the imagination.
Helene –
Combining Lidar with multi-beam bathymetry data gives us the full sub-, inter- and supra-tidal picture of the Deben estuary. In this way, we can see that some regions of the channel are particularly deep, whilst other stretches very shallow, and this variation also moves from side to side across the width of the estuary. Where the channel is deeper, tidal currents are likely to be stronger, and there is a greater likelihood of sediment being transported by the tide. The meandering channel behaves much like a river in terms of driving erosion on outer banks and enabling deposition on the inner banks, and this channel planform can explain most of the patterns of shoreline erosion and accretion here.
Deben Soundings 