Coastal Geomorphology

Eric Charles Frederick Bird, Principal Fellow, Department of Geography, University of Melbourne, Australia.

• Preface to the second edition xiAcknowledgements xiiiList of Figures xvList of Tables and Panels xxiii1 Introduction 011.1 Coastal geomorphology 011.2 Terminology 021.3 Ancient coastlines 031.4 Coastline morphology 051.5 Coastline length 071.6 Coastal evolution 081.7 Changing coastlines 091.8 Summary 112 Coastal processes 132.1 Introduction 132.2 Waves 132.3 Tides 252.4 Storm surges 312.5 Tsunamis 322.6 Currents 342.7 Nearshore water circulation 352.8 Wind action 362.9 Other processes 362.10 Modelling coastal processes 362.11 Summary 373 Land and sea level changes 393.1 Introduction 393.2 Mean sea level 393.3 Causes of sea level change 403.4 Measuring changes of level 453.5 Correlation and dating of former coastlines 463.6 Emerged coastlines 463.7 Submerged coastlines 513.8 Sea level variations 533.9 Late Quaternary sea level changes 533.10 Modern sea level changes 583.11 Recent changes of land and sea level 623.12 Future sea level changes 653.13 Summary 664 Cliffs 674.1 Introduction 674.2 Cliff evolution 694.3 Cliff morphology 744.4 Cliff weathering in cold climates 854.5 Cliffs and bluffs on humid tropical coasts 864.6 Cliff dissection 874.7 Outlines in plan of cliffed coasts 954.8 Coastal landslides 984.9 Rates of cliff recession 1024.10 Summary 1065 Shore platforms 1075.1 Shore processes 1075.2 Shore platforms 1135.3 Plunging cliffs 1305.4 Summary 1326 Beaches 1336.1 Introduction 1336.2 Beach sediments 1346.3 Evolution of beaches 1376.4 Provenance of beach sediments 1386.5 Weathering of beach material 1606.6 Beach rock 1616.7 Nearshore processes 1626.8 Beach morphology 1626.9 Beach outlines in plan 1646.10 Beach outlines in profile 1716.11 Beach morphodynamics and beach states 1796.12 Use of models 1816.13 Beach compartments 1826.14 Beach budgets 1836.15 Tracing beach sediment flow 1846.16 Lateral grading 1876.17 Prograding beaches 1906.18 Beach ridges 1936.19 Cheniers 1976.20 Beach lobes 1986.21 Summary 2007 Beach erosion 2017.1 Introduction 2017.2 The multiple causes of beach erosion 2177.3 Effects of artificial structures on beaches 2187.4 Beach nourishment 2197.5 Summary 2218 Spits, barriers and bars 2238.1 Introduction 2238.2 Spits 2238.3 Tombolos 2298.4 Cuspate and lobate spits 2308.5 Cuspate and lobate forelands 2348.6 Coastal barriers and barrier islands 2358.7 Intertidal sandflats 2428.8 Bars and troughs 2428.9 Sand shoals 2458.10 Ripples 2458.11 Sandstone reefs 2468.12 Summary 2469 Coastal dunes 2479.1 Introduction 2479.2 Foredunes 2509.3 Backshore cliffing of dunes 2529.4 Parallel dunes 2539.5 Blow-outs and parabolic dunes 2559.6 Transgressive dunes 2589.7 Cliff-top dunes 2619.8 Dunes on shingle 2619.9 Rates of dune movement 2629.10 Dune calcarenite 2639.11 Machair 2659.12 Coastal dunes in the humid tropics 2669.13 Old and new dunes 2679.14 Dune sandrock 2689.15 Dune lakes 2689.16 Summary 26810 Intertidal wetlands 27110.1 Introduction 27110.2 Intertidal morphology 27110.3 Sources of intertidal sediments 27410.4 Mudflats 27410.5 Intertidal vegetation 27610.6 Sea-grass beds 27610.7 Salt marshes 27710.8 Mangroves 28610.9 Freshwater swamps 29310.10 Summary 29411 Estuaries and lagoons 29511.1 Introduction 29511.2 Rias 29511.3 Fiords 29611.4 Fiards 29811.5 Calanques 29811.6 Sharms and sebkhas 29811.7 Estuaries 29911.8 Coastal lagoons 31111.9 Summary 32912 Deltas 33112.1 Introduction 33112.2 Delta components 33112.3 Deltaic processes 33212.4 The Mississippi delta 33412.5 Delta outlines 33712.6 Delta evolution 34212.7 Delta shores 34612.8 Summary 34713 Coral and algal reefs 34913.1 Introduction 34913.2 Coral reefs 34913.3 Origin of coral reefs 35013.4 Rates of growth 35113.5 Fringing reefs 35313.6 Barrier reefs 35413.7 Atolls 35713.8 Emerged coral reefs 35913.9 Islands on coral reef platforms 36013.10 Algal and other biogenic reefs 36313.11 Summary 36414 Future coasts 36514.1 Introduction 36514.2 Greenhouse effect and sea level rise 36514.3 General effects of a rising sea level 36614.4 Effects of a changing climate 36914.5 Effects on cliffs and shore platforms 36914.6 Effects on beaches, spits and barriers 37214.7 Effects on coastal dunes 37614.8 Effects on intertidal wetlands 37614.9 Effects on estuaries and lagoons 37914.10 Effects on deltaic coasts 38014.11 Effects on coral and algal reefs 38114.12 Conclusion 38514.13 Summary 385References 387Index 405