Dr Aijun Wang
Laboratory for Coast & Ocean Geology, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, China
Title: Effects of rapid urbanization on coastal geomorphology evolution in a semi-enclosed embayment
Biography
Biography: Dr Aijun Wang
Abstract
The growing human pressure on natural systems results in strong impacts, some of which may be irreversible, especially in coastal area. Urbanization in coastal zone can transform the structures, functions and processes of coastal environment. Coastal embayment, as an important type of coastal system, is undergoing a heavy influence by strong human activities and urbanization. Tongan Bay is a typical semi-enclosed embayment adjacent to Xiamen Island, southeast China. Due to construction of the Gaoji Seawall, the Tongan Bay have occurred a heavy accretion from 1950s’, and the hydrodynamic processes were changed obviously, and the fine fraction of the sediment increased. Since 2006, due to the requirement of the rapid urbanization, the Tongan Bay was experienced a series of complicated rearrangement, and hydrodynamic processes were changed again, and associated suspended sediment and bedload transport patterns were also altered, and then the new sediment distribution pattern and geomorphology structure were established correspondingly. The evolution of geomorphology in Tongan Bay is experiencing the adjustment from naturally developed pattern to artificial geomorphology types. After the complicated rearrangement, it will be fashioned into a set of new geomorphology pattern which is the net effects of physical hydrodynamic processes and human activities.