Netherlands built a 9-km storm barrier to protect against floods; decades later, “sand hunger” began shrinking tidal flats

• Image: WikipediaThe Netherlands built one of the world’s most ambitious flood defences after the devastating North Sea flood of 1953.
• Completed in 1986, the 9-kilometre Eastern Scheldt Barrier was designed to protect hundreds of thousands of people while keeping the estuary open to tides and saltwater.
• But the engineering solution created an unexpected environmental consequence.