Correlation between complexity of coastal geomorphology and the
dissipation of tidal energy- A case study of Zhoushan Islands in
Hangzhou Bay
Abstract
In recent years, coastal reclamation has become an important way for
coastal areas to ease the contradiction between supply and demand along
the land and to develop and utilize marine resources. However,
large-scale coastal reclamation will change the original natural
properties of the sea area and cause changes in the surrounding
hydrodynamic environment. Although coastal geomorphic features have a
non-negligible impact on tidal energy loss and disaster prevention, few
studies have paid attention to the intrinsic connection between the
complexity of coastal morphology and the rate of tidal reduction. In
this study, Hangzhou Bay is selected as the research object, and a model
based on the correlation between coastal geomorphic complexity and tidal
energy reduction rate is constructed by using the fractal geometry
theory and the quantitative evaluation method of landscape complexity,
and the model is used in the assessment of the impacts of reclaimed land
in Zhoushan Islands on the geomorphic complexity and tidal energy
dissipation. The results of the study show that the differential tide
reduction rate is highly correlated with the complexity of islands,
shoreline irregularities, curved boundaries and spatial morphology. In
the application of the model, it was found that the traditional planning
and design of reclamation led to a dramatic change in shoreline
morphology, and with the significant reduction of the number of
subdimensions D and the shape index S, the differential tidal reduction
rate would be reduced by more than 88%, which also poses a significant
threat to coastal and downstream estuarine bay disaster prevention.
Finally, based on the above analysis, effective control indexes and
scientific reclamation measures are proposed to provide theoretical
basis for the efficient utilization and protection of mudflats in China.