BIO3119- Marine & Coastal Ecology

Lecture 6: Coastal Processes

Lecturer: Mark Ram
 Coastal Process: Definition
• Accretion - natural or artificial deposition of sediment in a particular
location
• Beach nourishment - the restoration of a beach by the mechanical
placement of sand on the beach for recreational and/ or shore protection
purposes.
• Cross shore transport - the displacement of sediment perpendicular to
the shore
• Erosion - the removal of sediment from a particular location by the
action of wind or water.
• Longshore transport - the displacement of sediment down the shore
(parallel to the shore).
 Coastal Process: Definition
• Offshore transport – the movement of sediment or water away from the
shore
• Longshore bar - offshore ridge or mound of sand, gravel or other loose
material running parallel to the shore which is submerged (at least at
high tide) and located a short distance from the shore.
• Tombolo - the combination of an offshore rock or island which is
connected to the beach by a sand spit.
• Spit – a low tongue of land or a relatively long, narrow shoal extending
from the land.
• Gabions-boulders and rocks are wired into mesh cages and usually
placed in front of areas vulnerable to heavy to moderate erosion.
• Onshore transport – the movement of sediment or water toward the
shore.
 What are Coastal Processes ?
• Coastal processes are the set of mechanisms that operate along a
coastline, bringing about various combinations of erosion and
deposition.
• The land-water interface along the coastline is always in a highly
dynamic state and nature works towards maintaining an equilibrium
condition.
• The energy due to the tide, waves, wind and currents are constantly
working in the coastal zone. Dissipation of energy (due to tide, wind,
waves and current) is often provided by the beaches, mudflats, marshes
and mangroves.
 Coastal Processes
• Human use of the coasts also requires space and herein lays the
conflict, which results in unstable coastal systems. This induces coastal
erosion, sediment transport and accretion.
• Coastal processes are highly unpredictable and is a challenge to coastal
scientists.
• Some of the coastal processes are:
―Sediment transport
―currents
―Denudation
―Deposition
―Erosion
―Flooding
―Diffraction
―Refraction
 Coastal Processes
• The analysis and prediction of sediment transport have great commercial,
aesthetic, social, and scientific importance owing to the sustainable
development and coastal zone management.
 Coastal Processes
Erosion and Deposition
• It involves the transfer of energy from the atmosphere (wind) to the
hydrosphere (ocean) and then to the lithosphere (land).
• Deposition - natural or artificial deposition of sediment in a particular
location
• Erosion - the removal of sediment from a particular location by the action
of wind or water.
 Forces of Erosion
• Hydraulic action-forces water into the carks of the rock thereby breaking
it down.
• Abrasion-this is the flinging of sand and pebble against the rock.
• Attrition -chuck of rocks get know together worn into smaller and smaller
bits.
• Solution dissolves soluble material from the rocks.
 Agents of Erosion
• Wind
• Water
• Waves
• Gravity
• Glaciers
 Causes of Erosion
1.Water
• Rain and subsequent flowing water carry along weathered rocks and
other particles to be deposited at lower elevations.
2.Wind
• Wind is the movement of air, in most cases with significant force. The
movement of air is usually from an area of high pressure to an area of
low pressure. The force of the wind is capable of carrying eroded
materials to different locations.
3.Ice
• Ice forms during periods when temperatures considerably drop, resulting
in the pile-up of snow and ice. The result is continental ice sheets. Ice
sheets erode mountain surfaces over time to form beautiful landforms.
 Causes of Erosion
4. Gravity
• This is the force of attraction between two objects. The force of attraction
relies on the masses of the two objects and the distance between them.
Gravitational force is responsible for the downward movement of water
and particles.
5.Waves
• Waves are moving swells or ridges in a water body. Kinetic energy is
transmitted in the direction of the wave movement. The energy is
capable of carrying away sand particles to different locations.
 Erosional and Depositional Coasts
• Another approach to coastal classification is to consider whether coastal
processes in the coastal zone are primarily contributing sediment to the
coastline or whether they are removing sediment from the coastline.
• The former of these is recognized as deposition, whereas the latter is
known as erosion. Where erosion is the dominant process, the coastline
is retreating landward, and where deposition is the dominant, the
coastline is advancing seaward.
 Erosional Coasts
• In places where there is an abundance of wave
energy or ocean currents and/or a lack of
sediment available for deposition.
• Quite often, erosional coasts are narrow and
characterized by resilient rocky shorelines that
are exposed to high energy waves and supply
relatively little sediment to the adjacent shore.
• Often, but not necessarily always, erosional
coasts are associated with coastal zones along
active plate margins where there is a steady
uplift of the landform.
 Depositional Coasts
• Depositional coasts are characterized by abundant
sediment supply that results in the net deposition of
sediment and the creation of new coastal landforms
despite the energy of the waves and ocean
currents.
• There is a wide variety of landforms along
depositional coasts such as extensive beaches,
barrier islands, and expansive coastal wetlands and
mudflats.
• They are most common along mature, tectonically
inactive continental margins where ample geologic
time has passed for large drainage basins and
rivers to develop, which can provide large
quantities of sediment that can be distributed by
waves and tides at the coastline.
 Coastal Landforms
• A coastline is simply the meeting point of land and the seas or oceans.
• It includes all the beaches, cliffs, capes, caves, bays and estuaries that
line up at the end of the land.
• These features may all be located close to each other on a coastline.
 Formation of Bay and Headland
• Bands of hard and soft rock eroded at different rates – Differential
Erosion.
• Processes at work : hydraulic action / abrasion / solution / compressed
air.
• Hard rock stands out as headlands and soft rock retreats inland to form
bays.
• Wave refraction occurs as bays retreat so headlands receive more high
energy waves.
Formation of Bay and Headland
 Formation of Cave, Arch & Stack
• Waves attack weak areas of exposed rock.
• Cave cut into base of cliff/ deepened by abrasion.
• Cave extends through to other side of headland forming an arch.
• Erosion and gravity cause roof of cave to collapse forming a stack.
• Continuous erosion creates a sea stump.
• Example – Old Head Of Kinsale, Co. Cork.
Formation of Cave, Arch & Stack
Formation of Cave, Arch & Stack
 Formation of Sea Cliff
• Destructive waves attack coast.
• Notch carved out and enlarged.
• Upper slope unsupported/ undermining occurs.
• Due to erosion, weathering and gravity, slope collapses forming a steep
face.
• Cliff retreats and increases in height.
• Rock left at base of retreating cliff is a wave cut platform.
• The bigger the platform – the less rate of erosion.
• Example – Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare.
 Coastal Processes
Wave Erosion
Formation of Sea Cliff
Formation of Sea Cliffs
Formation of Sea Cliffs
 Marine Transportation
• Longshore Drift – movement of material along the coast in a zig-zag
pattern.
• Swash moves material up the beach.
• Backwash moves sediment back into the sea.
 Coastal Processes
Currents and Coastal Sediment Transport
• Longshore Currents Wave refraction
―It is the movement of sediments most often sand, along a coast
parallel to its shoreline - a zig-zag movement of sediment along the
beach .
―The largest beach sediment is found where the process begins,
updrift, and the smallest, most easily moved, downdrift.
―Where waves are strong, the coast will be eroded and sediment
carried away and where they are weak sediment will be deposited.
―Longshore drift can have undesirable effects for humans, such
as beach erosion. To prevent this, sea defenses such as groynes or
gabions may be employed.
 Formation of a Beach
• Formed by constructive waves.
• Weak backwash allows material to build up higher up the shore and finer
material is left closer to shoreline.
• Beach forms between high and low water marks.
• Sections of beach include sandy area/ shingle area and storm beach.
• Example – Skerries.
Formation of a Beach
 Formation of a Beach
• Beach drifting
 Formation of a Spit
• Long ridge of sand and shingle deposited along entrance to sheltered
bay.
• Constructive waves and longshore drift.
• Waves hit obstacle/ lose power / deposit load.
• Builds up above sea level across entrance to bay.
• Wave refraction may cause spit to curve inwards towards bay= Recurved
spit.
• Example – Portmarnock, Dublin.
Formation of a Spit
Formation of a Spit
 Formation of a Tombolo
• Island connects to mainland due to deposition.
• Constructive waves and longshore drift.
• Wave refraction at island causes currents to converge / deposit load.
• Example – Howth to Sutton.
Formation of a Tombolo
Formation of a Tombolo
 Formation of a Bar
• A ridge of sand and shingle which has joined two headlands, cutting off a
bay.
• It is form when the spit grows the whole way across the bay.
• A sand bank develop offshore, parallel to the shore until it joins the
mainland.
Formation of a Bar
Formation of a Bar
 Formation of a Lagoon
• Usually, lagoons are of two types: Coastal Lagoons and Atoll Lagoons.
• Atoll lagoons form when an island completely subsides beneath the
water, leaving a ring of coral that continues to grow upwards
• Coastal lagoons form along gently sloping coasts.
 Human Alteration of Coastal Sediment Budgets
Beach starvation (unintentionally shrinking beaches)
–Dam construction on rivers reduces sediment discharge into oceans,
starving nearby beaches of sand.
Beach nourishment (re-building beaches)
–This is the practice of adding large quantities of sand or sediment to
beaches to combat erosion and increase beach width.
–With sea level rise and storms threatening to erode sandy beaches, it
is likely that nourishment will become more prevalent as managers
seek to protect valuable coastal property.
 References & Attributions
• Robert, G., Dean &Robert, Dlrymple, A. (2002) Coastal processes with
engineering applications.
• https://www.eartheclipse.com/geography/spit-landform.html
• https://www.slideshare.net/MsGeo/formation-of-spits-tombolos-and-bars-
10001053
• https://www.niwa.co.nz/coasts-and-oceans/nz-coast/learn-about-coastal-
environments/beach-types/13-beach-types/intermediate-rhythmic-bar-and-beach
• https://www.slideshare.net/MsGeo/formation-of-spits-tombolos-and-bars-
10001053
• https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth107/node/1270
• http://home.bt.com/news/uk-news/homes-to-vanish-in-coastal-erosion-
11363963902969
• https://phys.org/news/2015-07-usgs-coastal-erosion-threatens-northern.html