Barrier geomorphology based on intertidal soil-hydro dynamics

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A comprehensive set of field observations/surveys, laboratory tests and analyses for the artificially created sandbars in Tokyo Bay, Japan, were performed in order to clarify our recently found mechanism of the morphodynamic stability of intertidal sandbars. The results clearly demonstrated that in the morphodynamic processes where the sediments moved from the unsaturated zone to the saturated zone, namely, where the suction-dynamics induced sediment compaction and associated increase in the surface shear strength became pronounced, the self-stabilization of the intertidal sandbars manifested owing to the impact of the suction dynamics effects on erosion. On the basis of these results, we proposed an optimal design of such dynamically stable sandbars. Our findings can be used widely for the creation and maintanance of such morphological features, which are often crucial for disaster reduction, as well as for conservation and restoration of habitats with diverse biological activity.