Abstract
Systematic evaluation of tidal-flat stability is vital for coastal protection and management. However, due to the complex geomorphology and variable sediment dynamics of tidal flats, there are few studies on this topic. In this study, the stability of tidal flats along the Jiangsu Province's central coast in China was analyzed using a cumulative change frequency (CCF) method. Tidal creeks were extracted from 131 images at low tidal levels registered by Landsat-8 OLI, Sentinel-2 MSI, GF-1 WFV, and HJ-1 CCD satellites between 2009 and 2019. The results indicated that MSI images could identify five levels of tidal creeks, and the number of tidal creeks extracted was the greatest. The extraction results from OLI and WFV images were similar, and they can identify four, whereas only large-scale and medium-scale tidal creeks can be identified from CCD images. The area of stable tidal flats was estimated to be ∼202 km2, mainly near-shore and the inner part of several major tidal channels, representing ∼23.0% of the total area. In comparison, the unstable tidal flats were estimated to be 75 km2, accounting for ∼8.5% of the total area, mainly located in the middle and lower sections with frequent migration in tidal creeks. The tidal-creek system oscillation period increases from land to sea, roughly two years for the salt-marsh zone and three years for the lower intertidal zone. These findings are essential to promote the understanding of tidal-flat evolution and support the practical guidelines for coastal and offshore management.
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