Coastal geography
Despite the simplicity of this process, the differences between waves and the rocks they hit result in hugely varying shapes.Due to gravity, the water then falls back perpendicular to the beach, dropping its sediment as it loses energy (this is called backwash).The lack of sediment on headlands removes the protection of waves from them and makes them more vulnerable to weathering while the gathering of sediment in bays (where longshore drift is unable to remove it) protects the bays from further erosion and makes them pleasant recreational beaches.Sea levels are currently quite high, while just 18,000 years ago during the Pleistocene ice age they were quite low.As tectonic plates move about the Earth they can rise and fall due to changing pressures and the presence of glaciers.The weight of the ice caused northeast Scotland to sink, displacing the southeast and forcing it to rise.At current estimates the southeast is sinking at a rate of about 2 mm per year, with northeast Scotland rising by the same amount.Slowly over time sediment simply builds on this area, extending the spit outwards, forming a barrier of sand.Eventually the spit will not be able to grow any further because it is no longer sufficiently sheltered from erosion by waves, or because the estuary current prevents sediment resting.
Ordovicianlimestonecoastal erosionOsmussaarEstoniaphysical geographygeomorphologyclimatologyoceanographyhuman geographysociologyhistorysedimentwave refractionlongshore driftbarrier islandsBeach evolutionsand dunesfrost weatheringsea icebeachrockdunerockPleistoceneGlobal warmingfjordsglacial valleystectonic platesraised beachesChesil BeachtomboloDorsetUnited KingdomLong shore driftBeach nourishmentModern recession of beachesRaised beachPaleoshorelineStrand plainIntegrated coastal zone managementCoastal managementCoastal development hazardsCoastal engineeringConcepts and Techniques in Modern GeographyHard engineeringSoft engineeringCoastal morphodynamicsCoastal and Estuarine Research FederationSea level riseNatural hazardErosionBioerosionBlowholeNatural archWave-cut platformDeposition (sediment)Coastal sediment supplySand dune stabilizationSubmersionLandformsAnchialine poolArchipelagoAvulsionBarrier islandBoddenBrackish marshChannelCoastal plainCoastal waterfallContinental marginContinental shelfCoral reefcliff-topEstuaryFreshwater marshFundusHeadlandIntertidal wetlandIslandIsthmusLagoonMachairMudflatPeninsulaSalt marshSkerryStraitSubmarine canyonTidal islandTidal marshTide poolTied islandWaitunaWindwattBeachesBeach cuspsBeach ridgeBeach wrackBeaches in estuaries and baysPocket beachRecessionShell beachShingle beachStorm beachWash marginRiver mouthsDebouchMouth barRiver deltaregressiveProcessesCliffed coastCoastal biogeomorphologyConcordant coastlineCurrentCuspate forelandDiscordant coastlineEmergent coastlineFeeder bluffFlat coastGraded shorelineIngression coastLarge-scale coastal behaviourMarine regressionMarine transgressionRaised shorelineRip current