A descriptive account of sand movement in the Knysna Estuary

Abstract

This paper reports beach sediment changes within the lower estuary of the Knysna River over a period from 1993–1997. Changes in the middle estuary caused by severe flooding in October-November 1996 are also recorded. Discussion of the results includes observations up to 1999. Sediment changes in the lower estuary, such as the intertidal sediment topography recorded at Leisure Isle with the photographic record, suggest the changes may be cyclic. Alternatively they may be attributed to altered wave refraction. The sedimentation consequent on the 1996 floods indicates that maintenance of the Knysna Estuary requires extreme care in development in the Knysna hinterland.