Environmental behavior of unsaturated zone in an island under tidal effect and climatic condition

Abstract

     The beaches with mudflats located near islands surrounded by a sea are usually characterized by cyclic variations in soil moisture due to changes in temperature, evaporation, rainfall and tidal fluctuation. These issues of the unsaturated zone and mudflat behavior under varied boundary conditions were studied by establishing a new conceptual model for a study area, which is the Trieu Duong beach of Phu Quy Island, Binh Thuan Province. The effect of the tidal fluctuation on the variability of the moisture in the mudflat was also studied. We found that seawater intrusion has been expected in the beach line area. The variation of soil moisture follows daily cycles, rather than monthly or seasonal. These studied preliminary results help us/scientist to understand the behavior of the mudflat in terms of variation in moisture content and also salinity which may help in proper ecological management of the area.