The estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) zone occurs in river estuaries due to the effects of tidal dynamics, density-driven residual circulation and deposition/erosion of fine sediments. Even though tropical river estuaries contribute proportionally more to the sediment supply of coastal areas, the ETM in them has been hardly studied. In this study, surface suspended particulate matter (SPM) determined from OLI (Operational Land Imager)-Landsat 8images was used to gain a better understanding of the spatio-temporal dynamics of the ETM of the tropical Maroni estuary (located on the Guianas coast, South America). A method to estimate the remotely-sensed ETM location and its spatiotemporal evolution between 2013 and 2019 was developed. Each ETM was defined from an envelope of normalized SPM values > 0.6 calculated from images of the estuary. The results show the influence of the well-marked seasonal river discharge and of tides, especially during the dry season. The ETM is located in the middle estuary during low river-flow conditions, whereas it shifts towards the mouth during high river flow. Neap–spring tidal cycles result in a push of the ETM closer to the mouth under spring-tide conditions or even outside the mouth during the rainy season. An increase in SPM, especially since 2017, coincident with an extension of the ETM, is shown to reflect the periodic influence of mud banks originating from the mouth of the Amazon and migrating along the coast towards the Orinoco (Venezuela). These results demonstrate the advantages of ocean color data in an exploratory study of the spatio-temporal dynamics of the ETM of a tropical estuary, such as that of the Maroni.

A three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic numerical model is proposed to predict ship resistance and sinkage of an inland vessel sailing in restricted waterways. The flow around the ship is simulated, and the hydrodynamic forces acting on the hull are calculated. A quasi-Newton method is applied to find the vertical equilibrium position and to update the ship position. The numerical results are validated against experimental data and compared with empirical models. The effects of ship sinkage and channel restriction on ship resistance are also investigated. Including ship sinkage into the calculations significantly increases the model accuracy. Additionally, the empirical models tested in this study are not able to accurately predict ship resistance for the most restricted configurations. Finally, it is shown that ship resistance is more sensitive to water depth than channel width restriction.

The coast of French Guiana is characterised by the northwestward migration of large mud banks alongshore and by high concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM) resulting from the strong influence of the Amazon River outflow. Surface OLI SPM concentration, linked to the footprint of the subtidal part of mud banks due to resuspension and migration processes, was used to develop a method to estimate the location of this footprint. A comparison of the results from this method with those obtained by locating the limit of the wave damping, which characterises muddy coasts, revealed good performance of the method based on recurring SPM values. The migration rates of the mud banks in French Guiana were calculated according to the delimitation of their subtidal parts, and showed slightly higher values (2.31 km/year) than suggested by earlier studies. In comparison with other methods, the migration rate estimated using the method proposed within the framework of this study takes into account the variability of the shape of the subtidal part for the first time. It was also shown that the mud banks existing on the coastal area of French Guiana present two different shapes. Our results clearly demonstrate the advantage of ocean colour data to describe mud banks according to their subtidal part, delimited using the assessment of SPM temporal variability.

The wide spatial and temporal coverage of remotely sensing images is an essential asset to analyze the morphological behaviour of fast-changing coastal environments such as estuarine systems. This paper investigates the reliability of intertidal topography mapping around the Authie Bay, a macrotidal estuarine system located on the northern coast of France. A Satellite-Derived Topography technique is developed by relating the green band reflectance of Sentinel-2 images to rapid variations in topography. This method is well suited to small sedimentary structures of the coastal zone with a 0.30 to 0.35 m height accuracy of the constructed Digital Elevation Model (DEM). For the more complex estuarine configuration, the waterline method was applied and resulted in the construction of DEMs with a height accuracy of 0.35 to 0.38 m. Video animations and records of Authie meander positions along transects are created from Sentinel-2 and Landsat satellite archives (1984–2020). These materials allow to highlight a sedimentation phase at the east side of the spit since 2015. It constrains the main channel towards the eastern bank, thus promoting coastal erosion. The monitoring of a severe erosion phase throughout 2019 shows a 130 m retreat of the coastline. Topographic map differentiation led to the detection of a sedimentation anomaly upstream of the bay, probably linked to this erosion event.