The Effects of Nourishments Using the Grain-Size Trend Analysis on the Intertidal Zone at a Sandy Macrotidal Beach

Byeonsan Beach is one of the typical macro-tidal beach on the west coast of South Korea, that has been eroded continuously over the past decade, especially after the construction of Seamangum Dike. Starting from 2011, artificial nourishment was conducted on Byeonsan Beach every year, with nearly 8 × 10³ m³of well sorted medium sands over the intertidal flat area. Primary purposes of the present study are to understand the pattern of sediment transport using the grain-size trend analysis (GSTA) proposed by Gao and Collins (1992), and to evaluate the effect of nourishment procedures. Because of the monsoonal climate, nourishments are carried out just before the rainy summer season between late May and early Jun. More than 120 surface sediments are collected carefully each times in March before nourishment and also in September about 3-month after nourishment, and the results are considered as representing the equilibrium status of transport pattern in the previous winter season and during summer after nourishment, respectively. Beach morphology was also made monthly by using RTK-GPS system.

The result showed that most of the nourished sands remained within the tidalflat-beach system, and thus the nourishment procedures conducted on Byeonsan Beach are considered as successful. Surficial sediments were transported dominantly landward direction from intertidal zone of nourished area, resulting the 20 cm increase in mean elevation along the upper sand beach (Figure 1). Subsequent amounts of nourished sand are considered to be transported seaward direction showing different transport patterns between 2013 and 2014, especially at the northern and southern part of the beach. Local factors influencing the transport pattern are the amount of rainfalls and the resulting outflows from the sluice gates, and the climatic conditions such as strong typhoons in summer and the northwester during winter.