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Estuaries have unique ecosystems, but also pose flood risks and are intensively used for economic activities. We investigate how these tidal systems form, and how they respond to interference. Estuaries are shaped by tidal currents interacting with mud flat animals and saltmarsh or mangrove plants, but estuaries are also constrained by the antecedent, early-Holocene landscapes that drowned under sea-level rise and subsided due to water management and excavation. Estuaries harbour highly productive natural habitats and are of pivotal economic importance for food production, access to harbours and urban safety. Accelerating sea-level rise, changing river discharge and interference threaten these functions.

We aim to understand the interactions between physical processes and eco-engineering plant and animal species, and the development of the landscapes under timescales of decennia to millennia. We build state-of-the-art eco-morphological models, we conduct unique analogue landscape experiments, and we bridge the gap between process data and paleogeographic reconstruction of Holocene estuaries. Close contacts with stakeholders and companies and our dedicated ensure applications of our system understanding and use of code and data.