Charoenlerkthawin Warit, Charoenphon Chaiyut, Burnett William C, Otarawanna Somboon, Bidorn Butsawan
Department of Water Resources Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
Center of Excellence in Interdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Development, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 22;15(1):30854. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-15377-y.
This study investigates the impact of small-scale coastal development on beach material changes along the Ban Khlong Wan (BKW) coastline in the Mid-Gulf of Thailand, a site of legal disputes between local communities and government agencies over environmental impacts. We applied shoreline change analysis, high-resolution LiDAR observations, beach material characterization, and land use change assessment to understand the causes of beach transformation. Contrary to prior reports attributing the transition from sandy to muddy conditions to coastal protection structures, our findings reveal the coastline remained predominantly sandy until 2002, with shoreline shifts averaging less than ± 1 m/year. The construction of a fishery pier and hard structures (2004-2008) disrupted longshore sediment transport, leading to sand accumulation updrift and sediment deficits downdrift. This, combined with increased muddy inputs from upstream land use change, particularly the conversion of 100 ha of natural wetland into aquaculture ponds, contributed to mudflat formation. While detached breakwaters and seawalls aided in shoreline stabilization, they were not the primary cause of the transformation. Rather, the shift from alongshore sandy to riverine muddy sediment supply was the key driver. These findings highlight the need for integrated coastal management that considers the interactions between infrastructure, sediment processes, and land use change to mitigate degradation and support sustainable development of small-scale coastal projects.
本研究调查了泰国湾中部班克龙湾（BKW）海岸线上小规模沿海开发对海滩物质变化的影响，该地区是当地社区与政府机构之间就环境影响产生法律纠纷的地点。我们应用了海岸线变化分析、高分辨率激光雷达观测、海滩物质特征分析和土地利用变化评估来了解海滩转变的原因。与先前将从沙质条件向泥质条件的转变归因于海岸保护结构的报告相反，我们的研究结果表明，直到2002年海岸线仍主要为沙质，海岸线移动平均每年小于±1米。一个渔业码头和硬质结构的建设（2004 - 2008年）扰乱了沿岸泥沙输运，导致上游泥沙堆积和下游泥沙亏缺。这与上游土地利用变化增加的泥质输入相结合，特别是100公顷天然湿地转变为水产养殖池塘，促成了泥滩的形成。虽然独立式防波堤和海堤有助于海岸线稳定，但它们不是转变的主要原因。相反，从沿岸沙质泥沙供应向河流泥质泥沙供应的转变是关键驱动因素。这些发现凸显了综合海岸管理的必要性，即考虑基础设施、泥沙过程和土地利用变化之间的相互作用，以减轻退化并支持小规模沿海项目的可持续发展。
