Long-term Changes of Sediment and Topography at the Southern Kanghwa Tidal Flat, West Coast of Korea

A 15-year study of the Southern Kanghwa Tidal Flat, part of Korea's UNESCO-listed Getbol tidal flats, reveals significant sedimentary and topographic changes driven by human interventions. The research found that while mud-dominated sediments decreased in area, sand-mud mixed sediments expanded eastward between 1997 and 2011. Topographically, deposition occurred at Tongmakri and Yeochari tidal flats, whereas erosion was observed at Changhwari. These changes are attributed to the construction of artificial structures near the tidal flat since the 1990s, which altered local hydrodynamic conditions. The study compared surface sediment distributions in summer 1997 and 2011, as well as elevations from April 1998 and March 2013, providing a comprehensive assessment of long-term environmental shifts in this ecologically significant coastal ecosystem.

Woo, H. J. (2013). Long-term Changes of Sediment and Topography at the Southern Kanghwa Tidal Flat, West Coast of Korea. Journal of Wetlands Research, 15(4), 493–500. https://doi.org/10.17663/jwr.2013.15.4.493