Modern morpho-sedimentological patterns in a tide-dominated estuary system: the Bay of Brest (west Britanny, France)

Long-studied with respect to its sedimentological features (1897), the Bay of Brest (Western Britanny, France) is a textbook example of a tide-dominated estuary. Characterised by macrotidal conditions, this estuary system is sheltered from the open sea (Iroise Sea) by a narrow strait that partitions the wave tide influences and continental/marine inputs. Sediments are supplied to the bay both by rivers (the Aulne and Elorn rivers) and by marine tidal currents. This study presents new analyses of detailed facies and morphological patterns, based on the integration of multisource data compiling seabed sampling, swath and LIDAR bathymetry, and backscatter imagery. The Main Map, at a scale of 1:90,000, contains (1) a sedimentological distribution using the ‘Code Manche’ classification, (2) a morphological map, and (3) bathymetric mapping which presents the morphology of marine and terrestrial landforms. This work may lay the foundation for a future study on sedimentary transport in a unique and confined coastal environment.