Development and Extension of An Aggregated Scale Model: Part 2 – Extensions to ASMITA

Whilst much attention has been given to models that describe wave, tide and sediment transport processes in sufficient detail to determine the local changes in bed level over a relatively detailed representation of the bathymetry, far less attention has been given to models that consider the problem at a much larger scale (e.g. that of geomorphological elements such as a tidal flat and tidal channel). Such aggregated or lumped models tend not to represent the processes in detail but rather capture the behaviour at the scale of interest. One such model developed using the concept of an equilibrium concentration is the Aggregated Scale Morphological Interaction between Tidal basin and Adjacent coast (ASMITA). In a companion paper (Part 1), we detail the original model and provide some new insights into the concepts of equilibrium, and horizontal and vertical exchange that are key components of this modelling approach. In this paper, we summarise a range of developments that have been undertaken to extend the original model concept, to illustrate the flexibility and power of the conceptual framework. However, adding detail progressively moves the model in the direction of the more detailed process-based models and we give some consideration to the boundary between the two. Highlights
• A range of extensions to the original model ASMITA model are presented that allow additional processes or features to be represented in the model.
• The merits of ever increasing complexity within an aggregated model, versus the use of a suitable local-scale and more detailed process-based model are discussed.