An integrated study on the marine environmental impacts by the Saemangeum sea dike, Korea: introduction and preliminary results

A 33-km long sea dike, enclosing a coastal zone of 40,100 ha, is being constructed to reclaim tidal flat in the Saemangeum coastal area, mid-west of Korea. The coastal environment of the Saemangeum area is a complex coastal ocean system including the well-developed tidal flat, two estuaries of the Mankyung and Dongjin Rivers, and a chain of small islands in the outer area off the dike. The dike construction radically changes the coastal environmental system dominated by the tidal motions. After the dike construction, the present estuarine system eventually disappears and the coastal hydrodynamic system is largely changed. This change in turn affects not only the oceanic environment of the Saemangeum area but also the coastal hydrodynamic system of its adjacent area. An integrated preservation study on the oceanic environment has been launched in 2002 to monitor and assess the coastal environment change during and after the dike construction. We introduce the outline of the multidisciplinary study and present significant changes in the coastal hydrodynamic system.