Abstract:
The traditional beach monitoring uses profile method cannot obtain the monitoring data of regional scale, which restricts the study of the terrain change law of beach area. According to the periodic RTK (real time kinematic) measured profile data and multiple airborne LiDAR (light detection and ranging) data from April 2022 to September 2023, the geomorphic changes of beach in some parts of Jinshan Bay, Yantai City, Shandong, East China were studied. Results show that the airborne LiDAR technology could quickly obtain the three-dimensional point cloud information of beach in centimeter-level accuracy, and the amount of sedimentary scouring/siltation could be estimated based on multi-epoch data. The two-year profile monitoring data showed that the beach showed a general trend of siltation in the interannual scale, with an annual average siltation rate of ~0.19 m/a. The seasonal variation of the beach showed that the siltation was smaller under weak dynamic conditions than that under strong dynamic conditions. The areas above the average high tide line was relatively stable, and those of intertidal zone changed frequently due to wind wave, tidal current, and other factors. The airborne LiDAR data from four epochs indicate that in the autumn, siltation dominated in the beach, with an average siltation thickness of ~9 cm. Scouring and siltation within the intertidal zone exhibited distinct alternating patterns. The scouring depth and siltation thickness of the beach on the eastern side of the Hanhe River estuary were larger than those on the western side, and the estuary bar grew slightly in east-west direction, which narrowed the estuary mouth. Natural factors such as wind wave, tide, and river were the main dynamic factors shaping the beach and controlling the evolution of the beach. The seasonal evolution of the beach was affected by extreme weather, and the natural evolution of the beach was affected by human activities to some extents.