Lee, J.; Jeong, Y.-M.; Jeong, J., and Hur, D.-S., 2023. An experimental study on the effect of cross-sectional changes in rigid and flexible submerged vegetation on beach erosion control. In: Lee, J.L.; Lee, H.; Min, B.I.; Chang, J.-I.; Cho, G.T.; Yoon, J.-S., and Lee, J. (eds.), Multidisciplinary Approaches to Coastal and Marine Management. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 116, pp. 643-647. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. Coastal erosion is a global problem that is difficult to solve, caused by phenomena such as rising sea levels and the influx of high waves. Structures such as groins and offshore breakwaters are primarily used to address these challenges, and research on several alternatives, such as beach drainage systems and vegetation, is increasing. In this study, a hydraulic experiment was conducted to investigate the reduction of beach erosion using submerged vegetation, and to analyze the effect of rigid and flexible submerged vegetation on beach profile changes. We applied density, width, and multirow arrangement conditions to each rigid and flexible vegetation to analyze the beach profile changes incurred by the variation in the cross-section of the vegetation zone. The results revealed that the amount of beach erosion decreased compared to the absence of vegetation. The beach erosion caused by the change in the cross-section of the vegetation zone showed a similar tendency in both vegetation types. The experimental results showed that beach erosion decreased as the density and width of both the rigid and flexible vegetation increased. No significant difference was observed in the amount of beach erosion according to the multirow arrangement conditions when the vegetation zone width was identical. The amount of beach erosion decreased by 15%–79% for rigid vegetation and 5%–85% for flexible vegetation compared to the absence of vegetation owing to the incident waves and cross-section conditions of the vegetation zone. Consequently, the implementation of rigid and flexible submerged vegetation is assumed to decrease the amount of beach erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]