16 Questions
What does the coastal zone, as defined in the course, include?
Coastal plain, estuarine, dune and beach area, shoreface, part of the continental shelf
Which element of coastal systems exhibits a certain degree of autonomy in its behavior?
Morphology
What serves as a meta-control by determining where coastal processes operate?
Sea level
What is the depth of closure in the wave shoaling zone related to?
Increasing wave height and period
What are beaches primarily composed of?
Sand or gravel
What is fundamental for understanding coastal dynamics and predicting future coastal change?
Assessing the pattern of erosion and deposition
What lies between the modal or average wave base and the breakpoint?
Wave shoaling zone
What are coastal dynamics a result of?
Interactions between various processes
What is the three-dimensional surface of landforms known as?
Morphology
What are the smallest-scale patterns on beaches with typical wavelengths of 10–100 cm?
Wave ripples
Which zone is dominated by wind-driven processes and is located between high-tide level and physiographic change?
Supratidal zone
What becomes important in swash and backwash action during storms?
Infragravity waves
What are the largest patterns found in the nearshore and occur in tidal ranges as large as 6 m?
Sandbars
Where does sand accumulate to form a berm?
At the intersupratidal boundary
Which represent alongshore rhythmic patterns in the swash zone of steep, coarse-sand or gravel beaches?
Beach cusps
What are shallow parts in a cross-shore profile and provide coastal protection?
Subtidal sandbars
Study Notes
Coastal Engineering: Nearshore Morphology and Beach Dynamics
- Inner surf-zone bores expand energy and run up and down beachface as swash and backwash
- Infragravity waves become important in swash and backwash action during storms
- Supratidal zone is between high-tide level and physiographic change, dominated by wind-driven processes
- Sand may accumulate at intersupratidal boundary to form a berm
- Beaches can be long and uninterrupted or part of barrier islands or located between headlands
- Wave ripples are the smallest-scale patterns on beaches, with typical wavelengths of 10–100 cm
- Beach cusps represent alongshore rhythmic patterns in the swash zone of steep, coarse-sand or gravel beaches
- Sandbars are the largest patterns found in the nearshore and occur in tidal ranges as large as 6 m
- Subtidal sandbars are shallow parts in a cross-shore profile and provide coastal protection
- Sandbars are predominantly governed by breaking waves and associated flows
- Subtidal sandbars are important from a societal point of view for coastal protection
- Morphological patterns abound on natural beaches from very small to large spatial scales
Test your knowledge of nearshore morphology and beach dynamics with this quiz. Explore concepts such as infra gravity waves, beach cusps, sandbars, and the influence of wave patterns on coastal protection.
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