Editing Eastern Scheldt (section)

==Storm surge barrier and dam==
[[File:Deltawerke-Oosterschelde-Sturmflutwehr Oosterscheldeseite.jpg|thumb|right|The Oosterscheldekering]]
{{Main|Oosterscheldekering}}
After the [[North Sea flood of 1953]], it was decided to close off the Oosterschelde by means of a dam and a [[Flood barrier|storm surge barrier]]. The [[Oosterscheldekering]] (Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier), between Schouwen-Duiveland and Noord-Beveland, is the largest of 13 ambitious [[Delta Works]] designed to protect a large part of the Netherlands from flooding. A four-kilometre section has huge [[sluice|sluice gates]], which are normally open but can be closed in adverse weather.

Upon completion of the Oosterscheldekering and Oesterdam in 1986, the ebb and flow of water decreased and thus the [[tide|tidal]] height differential was reduced from {{convert|3.40|m|ft}} to {{convert|3.25|m|ft}}. As a result, the [[shoals]] are no longer being naturally replenished with sand, further disrupting the [[ecosystem]] of the estuary; the shoals are used for, among other things, food for birds and resting places for [[Pinniped|seals]].<ref name="Watersnoodmuseum">{{cite web |title=Oosterscheldekering |url=https://watersnoodmuseum.nl/kennisbank/oosterscheldekering-4/ |website=watersnoodmuseum.nl/ |publisher=Watersnoodmuseum |access-date=7 February 2023}}</ref> To help compensate for the partial loss of the tide resulting in the sand being less stirred up and ending up on the banks, [[Rijkswaterstaat]] applied large amounts of sand to the Roggeplaat shoal in the northwestern part of the estuary in 2019 and 2020.<ref name="Watersnoodmuseum"/>