Coastal Erosion And Mechanism

contents
• Terminologies
• Coastal affecting agents
• Coastal mechanism
• Erosional landforms of ocean
• Long shore drift
• Depositional landforms of ocean
• Effects of coastal erosion
• Conclusion
• References
 Terminologies
• shoreline – It is the
line along which the
water meets the land.

• Coast – The area

extending from the
landward backshore
boundary to the limit
of ocean-related
features like dunes.
 Emergent and Submergent Coasts
• Emergent coast – coastline rises relative to sea
level as a consequence of sea level decline or
land uplift
• Submergent coast – coastline is lowered
(covered by water) relative to sea level as a
consequence of sea level increase or land
subsidence
• Global warming and cooling and plate tectonic
motion can obviously affect long-term sea
levels.
 Coastal Affecting Agents
• Wind: The movement of air is called wind.
• Wave: Waves are the result of the wind blowing
over the sea. As they approach land they break.
• Tide: periodic, rhythmic rise and fall of water
along coastlines due to the gravitational tug of
the Sun and Moon on the Earth.
• Currents: unidirectional flow of water and energy
caused by wind, water density differences and
water temperature differences.
 Why do waves break?

The bottom of the wave touches the sand and slows down
due to increased friction. The top of the wave becomes
higher and steeper until it topples over.
Types of waves
• Tsunam waves:
Omni directional ( )
flow of water away from a
central point caused by any
event (e.g., seafloor
earthquake, submarine
landslide) that vertically
displaces water from its
equilibrium position.
Earthquake triggered tsunami
 Tides

• Tides are the high waves

which are result of
gravitational pull of
moon and sun.

• Most oceanic coastlines Spring tide

experience two high

tides and two low tides
each day

Neap tide
Tidal forces

Tides enhanced during full Moon and new Moon

Sun-Moon-Earth closely aligned
 Ocean Currents
An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement
of ocean water generated by the forces acting upon
this mean flow, such as wind, Coriolis effect, temperature
and salinity differences and tides caused by the
gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun.
 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.
 Coastal Mechanism
• Coastal erosion
• Longshore drift
• Coastal deposition
 Coastal Erosion
Coastal erosion is the wearing away of land, or the
removal of beach, by wave action.

The rates of shoreline erosion

Processes of erosion
Processes of erosion
Attrition
Materials carried by the waves bump into each other and so are smoothed and
broken down into smaller particles.
Hydraulic action
This process involves the force of water against the coast. The waves enter
cracks (faults) in the coastline and compress the air within the crack. When the
wave retreats, the air in the crack expands quickly, causing a minor explosion.
This process is repeated continuously.
Corrosion
This is the chemical action of sea water. The acids in the salt water slowly
dissolve rocks on the coast. Limestone and chalk are particularly prone to this
process.
Abrasion/Corrasion
This is the process by which the coast is worn down by material carried by the
waves. Waves throw these particles against the rock, sometimes at high
velocity.
 Erosional landforms of shores

• Headland
• Wave-cut
cliff
• Sea cave
• Sea arch
• Sea stack
 DISCORDANT COASTLINE
HEADLAND
HARD ROCK

SOFT ROCK BAY

HEADLAND
HARD

SOFT
 Cliff line

Joints and beds allow

waves to attack the cliff
more easily
HIGH TIDE LEVEL

Waves can use rocks to

erode the cliff

Wave cut platform

Tom Abbott, Biddulph High School and Wave cut

made available through
www.sln.org.uk/geography and only for
notch
cliff
crack
cave
arch
pillar
stack
stump
reef
coastal
retreat
original photo
http://www.leler.com/hawaii/
Longshore current and longshore drift

• Longshore current -
zigzag movement of
water in the surf zone
• Longshore drift -
movement of
sediment caused by
long shore current
Longshore drift
Direction of movement

Backwash is always at
right angles to the beach

swash

Backwash

This movement of sediment along the coastline is called

longshore drift.
 Sediment accumulation
Groynes due to Longshore Drift

Waves approach beach

at oblique angle
Tom Abbott, Biddulph High School and
made available through
www.sln.org.uk/geography and only for
Depositional landforms of ocean
• Beach
• Spit
• Bay
• Tombolo
• Barrier island
Beach – An accumulation of unconsolidated sediment along the
landward margin of a sea shore.
How are beaches formed?

Beaches form in sheltered environments, such as bays. When the

swash is stronger than the backwash, deposition occurs.
Sometimes sand from offshore bars can be blown onto the shore
by strong winds.
Spit – An elongate ridge
on unconsolidated fine-grained
sediment that extends from
the mainland into the
mouth of an adjacent bay
 What is bar?
If a spit joins one part of the mainland to another it is
called a bar.
A lagoon is a body of water behind the barrier

A lagoon is a body of water

behind the barrier
 Tombolo
A tombolo occurs when sediment deposits connect the
shoreline with an offshore sea stack or island
An elongate, narrow, low-elevation island, composed of unconsolidated
sediment, that parallels the mainland
Barrier island, New Jersey
 Effects of coastal processes

• Environmental quality
• Habitat sustainability
• Near shore destructions

Coastal erosion in India

 conclusion
• Coastal processes are dynamic and highly unpredictable.
• Coastal affecting agents are wind , waves , tides , currents
etc.,
• Major coastal erosional landforms are head lands, wave cut
cliff, sea-caves, arch, stacks etc.,
• Major depositional landforms are –beaches, spills, bars,
tombolo, barrier islands etc.,
• It Is very crucial to understand the near shore physical
system, the consequent impact on sediment dynamics , and
the coastline’s response to it.
• Proper mitigation methods should be implemented in order
to reduce coastal erosion.
References
Books
• Parbin Sing,Engineering & General Geology, S.K.Kataria &
Sons.
• K M Bangar, Principals of Engineering Geology,publisher ,
Standard publisher distributers.
• Dimitri P krynine,William R judd, principles of Engineering
Geology and Geotechnics.
Websites
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_landform