The Seine-Aval scientific programme

3 - 3. Sands, Channels, Mudflats

The geological environment and different sources of the sedimentary particles making up the estuary's bottom are reviewed. The estuary's morphology is characterized, taking into account its evolution over a century or so. Then the sedimentary cover is characterized or updated, focusing on the study of mudflats. In all, over two thousand sediment samples have been analyzed, complemented by acoustic imagery surveys (sidescan sonar) and underwater video. The long-term (century scale) and short-term (less than a year) changes in sedimentary cover are described and interpreted and a long-term forecast is envisaged on how the estuary will evolve in morphodynamic terms.