• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.687-697
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• 2019

By monitoring sediment grain size and level variation of tidal flat surface for 6 years (2005-2011), and also by mooring TISDOS (tidal-flat sediment dynamics observation system) on the low intertidal flat in 2008, we investigated the sedimentary environment of tidal flat in the dammed Yeongsan River Estuary. The tidal flat of the Yeongsan River Estuary lost 82 % of its area because of coastal development projects, and a narrow tidal flat below mean sea level now remains. Most of the tidal flat sediments are composed of silt up to 70-94 %, and show the characteristics of clay deficiency and silt dominance. This is closely related with the coastal development, which led to the destruction of high tidal flats where most mud settled, and the modification of tidal current patterns. Moreover, the estuarine tidal-flat sediments reveal seasonal variation. They are coarse with abundant silt during windy autumn to spring, fine with abundant clay during the less-windy and high-discharge summer. This phenomenon indicates that the behavior of sediment particles on the low intertidal flats of the Yeongsan River Estuary is influenced by wind waves for silt and fresh water discharge and the tidal process for clay. Monitoring results of the altitude of tidal flat surface showed that the study area had eroded at an average rate of -2.6 cm/y during the period of 2005-2011, and also that an unusual deposition with a rate of 4 cm/y occurred in 2010. The erosion can be explained by an increased tidal amplitude and a strengthened ebb-dominant tidal asymmetry after the construction of an estuary dike and the Yeongam Kumho Seawall. The deposition in 2010 seems to have been closely related to the mass production of suspended materials from dredging of the estuary.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.427-436
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• 2018

In this study, experimental and numerical analysis were performed on the survivability of a long pipe-type buoy structure in waves. The buoy structure is an articulated tower consisting of an upper structure, buoyancy module, and gravity anchor with long pipes forming the base frame. A series of experiment were performed in the ocean engineering basin of KRISO with the scaled model of 1/ 22 to evaluate the survivability of the buoy structure at West Sea in South Korea. Survival condition was considered as the wave of 50 year return period. Additional experiments were performed to investigate the effects of current and wave period. The factors considered for the evaluation of the buoy's survival were the pitch angle of the structure, anchor reaction force, and the number of submergence of the upper structure. Numerical simulations were carried out with the OrcaFlex, the commercial program for the mooring analysis, with the aim of performing mutual validation with the experimental results. Based on the evaluation, the behavior characteristics of the buoy structure were first examined according to the tidal conditions. The changes were investigated for the pitch angle and anchor reaction force at HAT and LAT conditions, and the results directly compared with those obtained from numerical simulation. Secondly, the response characteristics of the buoy structure were studied depending on the wave period and the presence of current velocity. Third, the number of submergence through video analysis was compared with the simulation results in relation to the submergence of the upper structure. Finally, the simulation results for structural responses which were not directly measured in the experiment were presented, and the structural safety discussed in the survival waves. Through a series of survivability evaluation studies, the behavior characteristics of the buoy structure were examined in survival waves. The vulnerability and utility of the buoy structure were investigated through the sensitivity studies of waves, current, and tides.