title: Quantity, distribution, and impacts of coastal driftwood triggered by a typhoon.
abstract: Typhoon Morakot pounded Taiwan in 2009 with record-breaking rainfall, washing an unprecedented amount of driftwood into the sea that was partially deposited at the coastal areas. According to the satellite imagery analysis, more than three million trees fell and were washed away to occupy 83.2% of the Taiwanese coastline, including 52 fishing harbors. The amount cleaned-up was only 1/7 of the total coastal driftwood. It was found that the amount of coastal driftwood is not only related to the amount of precipitation but is also related to the distance from the location of the landslide to the river mouth and to the landslide area. The amount of accumulated coastal driftwood demonstrated log-profile declines with increasing distance to the river mouth. Nearshore current and wave motion are the critical factors for driftwood deposition. Much of the driftwood washed into the sea harmed the tourism and fishing industries, endangered navigation and oceanic activities, and impacted the marine environment and ecosystem.
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Environmental Informatics, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan. doong@mail.ntou.edu.tw
authors.forename: Dong-Jiing
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Doong
authors.forename: Hui-Chieh
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: Chjeng-Lun
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Shieh
authors.forename: Jian-Hwa
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D001493:Bathing Beaches / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055867:Cyclonic Storms; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005398:Fisheries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D012767:Ships / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013624:Taiwan; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014934:Wood / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014873:Water Pollutants