Seasonal Variation of Surface Sediments in 2014 on the Gochang Open-Coast Intertidal Flat, Southwestern Korea

Abstract

The Gochang open-coast intertidal flat is located in the southwestern coast of Korea (the eastern part of the Yellow Sea), characterized by macro-tidal range, an open-coast type, and sand substrates. This study has investigated seasonal variation in sedimentary facies of surface sediments in the Gochang intertidal flat. In the four seasons of February, May, August, and November, 2014, surface sediments of 252 sites in total were sampled and analyzed along three survey lines. The surface sediments of the Gochang intertidal flat in 2014 consisted mainly of fine-grained sand sediments showing a trend in grain size to be coarser in winter and finer in summer. Based on seasonal wave and tidal level data recorded near the study area, it was interpreted that the seasonal effects of wave were stronger than those of tide as a factor controlling surface sedimentation. High waves in winter resulted in the coarsening trend of grain size in surface sediments, whereas, during summer time, the sediments became finer by relatively low waves. Spatial sedimentary facies of the Gochang intertidal flat in 2014 represented that seasonal deviation of the upper tidal zone was larger than that of the lower tidal zone, hence sediments getting coarser in grain size and poorly sorted in the upper tidal zone. From upper to lower tidal zone, the grain size became finer and sediments were better-sorted, showing smaller seasonal deviations.