Interdisciplinary tidal-flat research efforts among the fields of biology, geochemistry, and sedimentology: a case study from a Korean tidal flat

Abstract

An interdisciplinary research program was performed by the KORDI during 2009-2010 to investigate possible co-operations between different fields of marine sciences for understanding tidal-flat environments. The ultimate goal was to provide a template procedure for examining the cause and response of tidal flats degraded by coastal developments prior to implementing rehabilitation means. Along the western coastline of Korea, a number of tidal flats have been reclaimed and developed for economical purposes. The remaining tidal flats, however, have also been subjected to indirect or direct influences by adjacent coastal developments. Recently, there have been persistent social movements to assert that the natural tidal flats should be much more valuable than the artificially modified ones even from the economical viewpoint. Therefore, the KORDI program was thought to be timely and a prerequisite for making a comprehensive coastal study plan including major estuaries and shelf in the Yellow Sea.The study area was a small bay, called Guenso Bay, on the mid-west coast of Korea, in which natural tidal flats are seated. The bay is macrotidal, but is under low wave energy conditions during winter owing to the entrance facing the SW. This bay was chosen particularly by the geochemists and biologists because of its environmental simplicities lacking considerable riverine input. This setting was t