Modified Computational Method and Analyses of Changes in Estuarine Convergence in South Korea Between 1985 and 2015

Abstract

Estuaries contain important ecosystems with high productivity and benefits to humans, such as storm protection. However, estuaries are under threat from human interference, such as the construction of dams and sea level rise. Ongoing research of the impacts of anthropogenic changes proximal to estuaries can support management of the health and overall function of the imbedded ecosystems. In an effort to better understand how the geomorphology of estuaries are changing due to anthropogenic alterations of estuaries, the TAMUG Coastal Geology Laboratory has been developing algorithms that allow for the automated quantification of these changes. The purpose of this project is to modify the existing R programming language code to automatically process the convergence length of estuaries and provide information on how they have changed over time. While the R code scripts were shown previously to successfully process estuarine convergence, multiple errors were encountered. The methods used to troubleshoot these errors and their resolution are presented. Then, a comparison of convergence length of South Korean estuaries between the years 1985 and 2015 is provided as a continuation of the comparison conducted previously, with the data acquired from the modified R code scripts. The findings can inform research on the human impacts on estuarine environments in that region.