ABSTRACT
Channel-shoal patterns in alluvial estuaries evolve from the interaction between tidal movement, the available sediments and the geometry of a tidal basin. Once such a system is not disturbed too much by extreme events, often a kind of morphological equilibrium seems to be present which describes only slow development on a decadal time scale. Earlier research shows that typical morphological length scales can be related to the tidal excursion. In case that the geometry is fixed by bank protection or non-erodible substrate (i.e. rock or peat), it directs the tidal flow and plays an important role in the allocation of channels and shoals.
