Die Kuste, 81 (2014), 369-392 
371 
6.2 Sediment balance 388 
7 Conclusion 389 
8 References 390 
1 Introduction 
A better understanding of die morphodynamic processes along die German Nordi Sea 
coast is crucial for coastal defense, cost-effective maintenance of shipping lanes and 
planning of coastal infrastructure (e.g. submarine cables) as well as, more recendy, envi 
ronmental assessment in the context of implementing EU directives. The German 
Coastal Engineering Research Council (KFKI) consequently published a call for pro 
posals in 2008 focusing on enhanced numeric modelling of relevant large-scale and long 
term sediment transport patiiways, including dieir directions and mass budgets. The 
AufMod R&D project was conducted by a multi-disciplinary research group under the 
leadership of die Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute (BAW) from 
2009 until 2012. Its purpose was to develop an integrated model system for analyzing die 
long-term morphodynamics in die German Bight (Nordi Sea). 
The multidisciplinary research project AufMod (German acronym for “Model-based 
analysis of long-term morphodynamic processes in die German Bight”) was funded by 
the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to investigate long-term sedi 
ment transport and morphodynamic processes. The project focuses on die German 
Bight, located in die southeastern part of die North Sea. AufMod takes a combined data- 
based and process-based modelling approach to investigate long-term sediment transport. 
The research group comprised die Federal Waterways Engineering and Research In 
stitute (BAW), the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSF1), the Christian- 
Albrechts-University of Kiel, die University of Bremen, die University of the Federal 
Armed Forces Munich, Senckenberg Institute Wilhelmshaven and smile consult GmbFl, 
Flannover. 
The principal goals of AufMod were 
• to establish to die greatest extent possible a consistent and plausible database widi 
respect to batiiymetries and physical sediment properties and to provide tiiese for 
third parties beyond die lifetime of the project; 
• to build up and develop a morphodynamic modelling toolbox including tides, 
waves, and wind-induced currents; 
• to analyze different scenarios of sea level rise witii respect to climate change; and 
• to share die treated data for online publishing in cooperation witii die R&D-project 
Marine Infrastructure in Germany (MDI-DE) in an information model. 
One main scientific objective of AufMod is to identify processes and effects which are 
relevant to long-term sediment transport and the morphodynamic reaction of the sea bed. 
The concept of die AufMod project implied the observation of die compartments air, 
water, and seabed (e.g., meteorological, hydrodynamic and sediment data), die analysis of 
morpho- and sediment dynamic processes using data-based and process-based models 
and the allocation of die results (products) via an integrated spatial data infrastructure 
(Rg- !)•