On spatial fractal character of coastline - A case study of Jiangsu Province, China

According to the fractal theory, the spatial fractal character of coastline is preliminarily discussed on the basis of GIS in this paper. Two aspects are considered: one is the length demarcation of coastline with different scales, and the other is the confirmation of existence of the fractal character on different boundaries of tidal flats. Finally, some significant conclusions are drawn: (1) The coastline of Jiangsu Province has the fractal character and its dimension is 1.0696. (2) It conforms to the exponential correlation between different lengths (L) of coastline and scales (k). I; conforms to the formula lgL(k) = -1.029 lgk+ 2.9544 in the continental coastline of Jiangsu province. (3) Different boundaries of a tidal flat have fractal characters, and different fractal dimensions indicate different comparative intensities of erosion and deposition on the tidal flat. (4) The reciprocity between land and sea may affect the value of fractal dimension of a coastline, just as the lithology, substantial constituent and geological structure do.