Jun, K.W.; Kin, S.D.; Lee, H.J., and Choi, J.H., 2020. Monitoring of morphological changes in an estuary based on time-series analysis of sediment discharge using a hydrophone. In: Malvárez, G. and Navas, F. (eds.), Global Coastal Issues of 2020. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 95, pp. 516–521. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.

The purpose of this study is to predict the littoral transport rate and morphological changes of estuaries by measuring the discharge of sediments from rivers into the sea in a time series using a hydrophone. To identify the problem of longshore sediments, an understanding of waves and currents is necessary. However, the runoff characteristics of sediments in river estuary that serve as the main source of sediments should be grasped first. It is important to predict the discharge of sediments from rivers into the sea and understand the coastal processes involved in the formation of sandbars in the estuary and the transport of sediments to coastal waters. The selected study area was the Gagok River located in the East Coast of Korea, where periodic estuary occlusion occurs due to the behavior of rivers and waves. This study investigated the morphological changes in the estuary according to the changes in sediment discharge. The sediment discharge was measured using a hydrophone capable of measuring the continuous sediment transport from the acoustic information based on the movement of the sediments. Based on this method, the hydrophone was applied to the field, and measurements of major rainfall events were taken to investigate the influence of changes in sediment discharge on the morphological changes in the estuary. In addition, to verify the results, the morphological changes in the estuary were linked to the ground LiDAR data measured over several years. The results of the survey confirmed that the occlusion phenomenon of the Gagok River estuary occurred according to the seasonal changes. Except for the flood season, there was a small amount of runoff through the river. As a result, a sand barrier developed in the estuary due to the influence of the sediments transported by the waves from the open sea.