Abstract
In the previous coastal surveys, coastal change has been analyzed by looking at “shoreline” changes in general. In this survey, coastal change between 1970s and 2000s were analyzed comprehensively by comparing “area” of land cover (sandy/muddy beach, sandy vegetation, coastal forest, coastal facilities and others (housing, agricultural field, etc)) behind the sandy/muddy beach shoreline which lays 7,600km in Japan's coast. As the result of the survey, it was revealed that the cover area of sandy beaches and sandy vegetation has decreased and the one of coastal facilities and others has increased by 2000s. Also, it was understood that the morphological changes of beaches occur mutually with shoreline change as well as land cover changes behind shoreline by quantitative analysis. Those results are clearly shown in the land cover maps created for 6,500 beach areas which were divided by similar sand drift systems.
