Beach Erosion along the Eastern Coast of Korea: A Brief Review

Abstract

Lim, H.S.; Lee, H.J.; Kim, D., and Hong, S., 2023. Beach erosion along the eastern coast of Korea: A brief review. Journal of Coastal Research, 39(1), 181–190. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. Most of the beaches on the eastern coast of Korea are eroding at an alarming rate, triggered by combined natural and artificial causes. In this review, each of the major causes of beach erosion is addressed briefly. A few protection measures such as breakwaters and nourishments are also discussed, with the emphasis on the unexpected or undesirable outcomes. Finally, some of the essential requirements for the field measurements in a beach are mentioned. Global warming has induced the chief natural causes of the beach erosion in Korea, including a gradual increase in wave energies and sea level. An estimation in this review suggests the rates of shoreline of 1 m/10 yrs on the eastern coast by sea-level rise alone. By comparison, artificial beach erosion is most likely to occur upon emplacing structures nearby. A variety of the artificially erosional cases by beach developments are described in the review. Storms and typhoons play a critical role in eroding beaches and changing local morphologies in a short period of time and thus should be observed hydrodynamically. However, the diminishing run-off of rivers and streams should be regarded as the primary reason for the nationwide artificial erosion of beaches. The scanty supply of stream sands to the beaches, together with the influence of global warming, would have the beaches eroded continuously without any coastal developments.