• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.485-495
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• 2008

Tidal ranges of inner Saemangeum were largely reduced after the final dyke enclosure, resulting in the former tidal flats becoming either permanently exposed, still influenced by changing tide, or permanently submerged. The effect of reduced tidal range on survival and population stability of tidal flat macrofauna were investigated at three shifted habitats after the dyke completion. At the exposed area, several species survived for 80 days after the dyke enclosure. However, within 120 days, all macrofauna died off due to the elevated temperature during summer. At the intertidal area, some species were maintained until 170 days after the dyke enclosure with a large decrease of the faunal abundance. Species of the submerged area were seen to be more tolerant of the changed environments. The opportunistic species, such as Sinocorophium sinensis, Theora fragilis and Pseudopolydora Kempi, were massively introduced into the submerged area after the dyke enclosure, in which the benthic ecosystem was severely disturbed.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.475-484
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• 2008

The word 'Saemangeum' indicates an estuarine tidal flat in the southwestern part of the Korean peninsula. The Saemangeum Reclamation Project was launched as a national project in 1991 to reclaim a large coastal area of $401\;km^2$ by constructing a 33-km long dyke. The final dyke enclosure in April 2006 has transformed the tidal flat into lake and land. An integrated oceanographic study has been conducted since 2002 as a part of the Government Action Plan to monitor and assess changes in the marine environment. Prior to the dyke enclosure, the coastal environment in the Saemangeum was a complex system governed by tidal motion, estuarine processes, and coastal circulation of the Yellow Sea. The dyke construction has radically changed not only the estuarine tidal system inside the dyke, but also the coastal marine environment outside the dyke. Post to the dyke enclosure, subsequent changes such as red tide, hypoxia, and coastal erosion/deposition occur successively. Red tides appear almost the year round in the inner area. Even under the condition that the sluice gates are fully open, the water quality does not improve as much as the developers would expect, mainly due to the critical reduction of the hydrodynamic stirring power. We will introduce details of our monitoring program and significant changes in the Saemangeum marine environment, based on observations and model results.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.361-368
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• 2006

The Saemangeum tidal flat with an area of approxirnately $233km^2$ is one of the biggest estuarine tidal flats on the west coast of Korea. Because of its location in the estuary of Mangyeong and Dongjin Rivers, the tidal flat receives large amount of sediments. A 33-km long sea dyke, enclosing a coastal zone of $401km^2$, was constructed to reclaim tidal flat in the Saemangeum area. The dyke construction radically changes the local tidal current regime and estuarine circulation. These have an effect on sedimentary environments in the tidal flat. On the tidal flats of the study area net deposition occurred, but net erosion occurred near tidal channel in 2004. The comparison of topography and surface sediments in summer 2004 with those in summer 1988 before the dyke construction showed that elevation increased with maximum 80cm and mean grain sizes were fining at Gwanghwal tidal flats. Sedimentary facies of two cores from Gwanghwal tidal flat revealed homogeneous layers in the upper part suggesting rapid deposition after the dyke construction. The sedimentation rate in Gwanghwal tidal flat(GW 6) using $^{210}Pb$ analysis was about 5.4cm/yr which is well matched with the sedimentation pattern revealed by change in topography.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.150-156
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• 2014

The aim of this study is to detection of changed vegetation area of Saemangeum tidal flat with comparison of topography and surface sediments during the dyke construction. Sedimentary facies of four seasons of 2001 from inside Saemangeum tidal flat revealed homogeneous layers in the upper part, however near sea side tidal flat were detecting with carried out rapid sediment deposition during the dyke construction using satellite image spatial analysis. The sedimentation types inside Saemangeum tidal flat were classified with vegetation types, which were well matched with the sedimentation pattern revealed by change in vegetation patterns.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.497-507
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• 2008

With the reduction of tidal currents by the closing of the Saemangeun 4th dyke, sedimentary environments on the Gunsan tidal flat, the nearest inner flat from the 4th dyke, has been severely changed, which might affect macrobenthic assemblages on the habitats. In order to investigate changes in macrobenthic community structure on Gunsan tidal flat, field surveys were seasonally conducted at seven stations from April 2002 to November, 2005. Sedimentary facies on the study area were shifted into muddominant facies. The fine sediment has been greatly deposited on the tidal flat with accumulation of organic materials after closing the water passage of 4th dyke section. These drastic variations in environments gave rise to change in macrobenthic community structure. Since the closure of the 4th dyke, the number of species of macrobenthos has gradually decreased. And the filter feeders and sand-favored species such as Urothoe convexa, Macrophthalmus dilatatus, Umbonium thomasi, and Mactra veneriformis have been replaced by the deposit feeders such as Macrophthalmus japonicus and Ilyoplax pingi. MDS ordination based on Bray-Curtis similarity from forth-root transformed species abundance data showed that the macrobenthic communities have passed through three succession stages from 2002 to 2005. During the third stage of 2005 opportunistic species such as Prionospio japonica, Heteromastus filiformis and Sinocorophium sinensis increased in population on the tidal flat.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.293-303
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• 2006

The topography of the sea floor and textural characteristics of surface sediments are documented in areas off sectors 1,2, and 4 of the Saemangeum dyke and inside the dyke. These were investigated during the years 2002 to 2005, when the dyke construction almost came to an end, and were compared with natural topographic analogs before the dyke construction from the maritime maps of 1982 and 1994. Along and across the dyke are a number of erosional troughs formed by intensified currents during the dyke construction. The sea floor off sector 4 has undergone gradual accumulation of sands moving from the north by currents varying in direction from normal to parallel to the dyke. This is in a strong contrast with a slight erosional environment prevailing over the sea floor before dyke construction. off sectors 1 and 2, a topography with an alterative pattern of erosional troughs and sand shoals develops normal to the dyke. Eroded materials from the troughs seem to have added to the sand shoals. As a result, the troughs, former natural tidal channels, have become increasingly deeper, whereas the sand shoals have become somewhat shallower. The sea floor inside the dyke has also been remarkably shallower with expanding tidal flats due to trapping by the dyke of continuous sediment input from the Dongjin and Mangyeong rivers. Sands, all of which are considered to have originated originally from the two rivers, dominate the entire Saemangeum area.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.138-150
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• 2003

In the mid-west coast of Korea where Mankyung and Dongjin rivers discharge fresh water, Saemangeum tidal dyke of 33 km long is under construction to reclaim the very shallow estuary region of 41,000ha. Main source of freshwater in this coastal area is Keum River locating closely north of the dyke. At present, the dyke connected with Gogunsan-Gundo separates this area into three regions; northwestern, southwestern and eastern (Saemangeum) region of the dyke, and the water in Saemangeum region is exchanged through one gap in the northern dyke and two gaps in the southern dyke. We have observed distributions and structures of temperature and salinity to examine the summer circulation related with low-salinity water in this coastal area in 1998 and 1999. In the surface layer off the northern dyke a tongue-like distribution of low-salinity extends 60 km long from Keum River estuary mouth to the northwest, forming plume front bounded by offshore water. In the inner region of Saemangeum dykes salinity distributions show that two river waters are merged together and the low salinity water is deflected toward northern gap of the dyke. In the surface layer off the southern dyke we observed small tongue-like distribution of another low-salinity water extending to the north from Gomso Bay. Based on the analysis of distributions of low-salinity water and frontal structures, we can suggest an anticlockwise circulation of coastal water around the dyke, composed by the estuarine water outgoing from the inner region of the dyke through the northern dyke's gap and the inflow through two gaps of southern dyke from offshore. After completing the dyke construction, this coastal circulation around the dyke will be, however, changed because fresh water discharge of Mankyung and Dongjin rivers will be routed artificially and directly into the area offshore of the southern dyke.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.519-536
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• 2008

The relatively tranquil area within the Gogunsan Archipelago was for the first time investigated preliminarily with respect to modern sedimentological processes in association with the emplacement of the Saemangeum Dyke. Basic sedimentological observations, bathymetry and surface sediments were performed twice during 2006-2008 to compare the results and elaborate changes during that period of time. In addition, sediment dynamical observations were carried out with latest measuring equipment along two transects crossing the entrances of the archipelago, including 12-hour onboard measurements of current, suspended sediments, temperature, and salinity. This dataset was used to reveal hydrodynamic characteristics for spring season April-May and to estimate the direction and relative magnitude of the net flux of suspended sediments. There occurred three depositional areas (A to C) within the archipelago, where sediment texture was also changed. In area A, around Yami Island and the dyke, and area B, in the center of the archipelago, surface sediments became coarsened over the two-year period; sand content increased 5% at the expense of silt content in the former, whereas silt content increased 3% at the expense of clay content in the latter. By comparison, area C in the western entrance of the archipelago shows a textural trend of fining with more silt and clay (combined increase of 5%) at the expense of sand content. The accumulation of sediments in areas A and B is attributable to the sand and silt resuspended from the seabed sediments off sector 4 of the dyke during the winter. The origin of the fine materials depositing on area C is uncertain at present, although suspended sediments moving offshore around the archipelago may be one of the most likely candidates for the source. The temperature of seawater increased rapidly from $9-10^{\circ}C$ in April to $14-16^{\circ}C$ in May, whereas salinity remained more or less constant at 31-32%o during the two months. Both of these parameters showed little variations with depth through a tidal cycle, suggesting good mixing of seawater without any help of significant waves. The consistency of salinity during a tidal cycle also indicates no insignificant effects of freshwater from the rivers Mangyung and Donjin emitting through the opening gap near Sinsi Island. The suspended sediment concentrations were higher at the entrance between Sunyu and Sinsi islands than at the entrance between Hoenggyong and Sinsi islands, ranging from 20 and 30 mg/l and from 5 and 15 mg/l, respectively at the sea surface. Although tidal currents were variable across a transect between Sunyu and Sinsi islands, the currents across the entrance between Hoenggyong and Sinsi islands flowed consistently in the same direction all over the transect during a tidal cycle. The estimation of net flux of suspended sediments indicates that suspended sediments are transferred to the Gogunsan Archipelago mainly through a relatively deep trough adjacent to Sinsi Island toward the shallow area around Yami Island and the dyke.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.353-360
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• 2006

A 33-km long sea dyke is being constructed in the Saemangeum area mid-west of Korea to reclaim a surface area of 40,100 ha which includes well-developed tidal flat and two river estuaries. The northern part of the dyke was closed on 10 June 2003, while the southern part was recently closed on 21 April 2006 by plugging two opening gaps of 2.7 km in length. In this study, firstly we review the outlines of key national projects which described marine environments in the Saemangeum area and secondly we present a summary of remarkable changes in marine environments after the closure of the northern dyke, based on marine environmental data collected during 2002-2005. Details in each discipline of the marine environments are presented both in other papers of this special volume and in a series of annual reports of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and fisheries.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.37-48
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• 2006

HF radar-derived current data obtained in 2002 and 2004 are analyzed to examine the effects of the completion of the Saemangeum 4th tidal dyke in June 2003, connecting Gogunsan-Gundo and Bieung-Do, on the coastal surface $M_2$ current pattern. Comparison between the currents by HF radar and current meter mooring showed good agreements. Counterclockwise rotation of the $M_2$ current in the observed area did not change with the dyke construction. Strong westward ebb jet from the gap of the dyke was observed in 2002 but disappeared in 2004. The complete closing of the dyke gap caused the current speed increase around the mouth of the Kem River estuary, decrease around Gogunsan-Gundo and the dyke, the changes in the direction of maximum current to north-ward from eastward and the delay of the maximum flood current occurrence around Gogunsan-Gundo and the dyke. Around Yeon-Do, the maximum flood current directed more clockwise and occurred rather earlier. These changes of the $M_2$ current ellipse characteristics imply that the effects of the dyke construction reached the area connecting Mal-Do and Yeun-Do.