Integrated Preservation Study on the Marine Environments in the Saemangeum Area : Introduction and Physical Aspects

Abstract

A 33-km long sea dike, enclosing a coastal zone of 40,100 ha, is being constructed to reclaim tidal flat in the Saemangeum coastal area, mid-west of Korea. The coastal environment of the Saemangeum area is known a complex coastal ocean system including the well-developed tidal flat, two estuaries of the Mangyung and Dongjin Rivers, and a chain of small islands in the outer area off the dike. The dike construction inevitably changes the coastal environmental system that is primarily dominated by a combination of riverine and tidal motions. Post to the dike construction, the change in the coastal hydrodynamic system in turn radically affects not only the marine environment of the Saemangeum area but also the hydrodynamic system in the adjacent area. An integrated preservation study on the marine environment was launched in 2002 to monitor and assess the coastal environment change during and after the dike construction. We will briefly introduce the outline of the multidisciplinary study and significant changes in the physical aspects