TOPOGRAPHIC AND MORPHOLOGIC FEATURES IN THE COASTAL ZONE OF QUANZHOU BAY AND THEIR CONTROLLING FACTORS

The coastal topography and geomorphology of the Quanzhou Bay were mapped with the latest bathymetric data. The bay is 0~20m in depth and the bathymetric lines are generally parallel to the coast with local variations. The study area can be divided to two geomorphic units of intertidal and subtidal(subaquoeus slope)zones, characterized by the alternation of shoals and channels. The origin and evolvement of the topographic and geomorphologic features in the coastal zone of the Quanzhou Bay are controlled by the joint effect of endogenetic and exogenic processes, such as geologic structure, Holocene transgression, modern hydrodynamics and human activities.