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Beach evolution
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Beach evolution
Beach evolution is a natural process occurring along shorelines where sea, lake, or river water erodes the land. Beaches form as sand accumulates over centuries through recurrent processes that erode rocky and sedimentary material into sand deposits. River deltas contribute by depositing silt carried from upriver, accreting at the river's outlet to extend lake or ocean shorelines. Catastrophic events such as tsunamis, hurricanes, and storm surges accelerate beach evolution.
Tsunamis can cause significant erosion and sediment displacement. They can strip away years of accumulated sand from beaches and devastate coastal vegetation. These powerful waves can flood inland areas far beyond the typical high-tide mark. Additionally, the swift currents associated with the inundating tsunami can demolish homes and other coastal structures.
A storm surge is an onshore gush of water associated with a low pressure weather system. Storm surges can cause beach accretion and erosion. Historically notable storm surges occurred during the North Sea Flood of 1953, Hurricane Katrina, and the 1970 Bhola cyclone.
Both geological events and the climate can change (progressively or suddenly) the relative height of the Earth's surface to the sea-level. These events or processes continuously change coastlines.
Volcanic activity can create new islands. For example, Surtsey Island in Iceland which has a diameter of 800 meters (2,600 ft), was created between November 1963 and June 1967. The island emerged from undersea vents that are part of the Vestmannaeyjar submarine volcanic system. Although the island has since partially eroded, but it is expected to last another 100 years.
Some earthquakes can create sudden variations of relative ground level and change the coastline dramatically. Structurally controlled coasts include the San Andreas Fault zone in California and the seismic Mediterranean belt (from Gibraltar to Greece).
The Bay of Pozzuoli, in Pozzuoli, Italy experienced hundreds of tremors between August 1982 and December 1984. The tremors, which reached a peak on October 4, 1983, damaged 8,000 buildings in the city center and raised the sea bottom by almost 2 meters (6.6 ft). This rendered the Bay of Pozzuoli too shallow for large craft and required the reconstruction of the harbor with new quays. The photo at the upper right shows the harbor before the uplift while the one on the bottom right shows the new quay.
The gradual evolution of beaches often comes from the interaction of longshore drift, a wave-driven process by which sediments move along a beach shore, and other sources of erosion or accretion, such as nearby rivers.
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Beach evolution
Beach evolution is a natural process occurring along shorelines where sea, lake, or river water erodes the land. Beaches form as sand accumulates over centuries through recurrent processes that erode rocky and sedimentary material into sand deposits. River deltas contribute by depositing silt carried from upriver, accreting at the river's outlet to extend lake or ocean shorelines. Catastrophic events such as tsunamis, hurricanes, and storm surges accelerate beach evolution.
Tsunamis can cause significant erosion and sediment displacement. They can strip away years of accumulated sand from beaches and devastate coastal vegetation. These powerful waves can flood inland areas far beyond the typical high-tide mark. Additionally, the swift currents associated with the inundating tsunami can demolish homes and other coastal structures.
A storm surge is an onshore gush of water associated with a low pressure weather system. Storm surges can cause beach accretion and erosion. Historically notable storm surges occurred during the North Sea Flood of 1953, Hurricane Katrina, and the 1970 Bhola cyclone.
Both geological events and the climate can change (progressively or suddenly) the relative height of the Earth's surface to the sea-level. These events or processes continuously change coastlines.
Volcanic activity can create new islands. For example, Surtsey Island in Iceland which has a diameter of 800 meters (2,600 ft), was created between November 1963 and June 1967. The island emerged from undersea vents that are part of the Vestmannaeyjar submarine volcanic system. Although the island has since partially eroded, but it is expected to last another 100 years.
Some earthquakes can create sudden variations of relative ground level and change the coastline dramatically. Structurally controlled coasts include the San Andreas Fault zone in California and the seismic Mediterranean belt (from Gibraltar to Greece).
The Bay of Pozzuoli, in Pozzuoli, Italy experienced hundreds of tremors between August 1982 and December 1984. The tremors, which reached a peak on October 4, 1983, damaged 8,000 buildings in the city center and raised the sea bottom by almost 2 meters (6.6 ft). This rendered the Bay of Pozzuoli too shallow for large craft and required the reconstruction of the harbor with new quays. The photo at the upper right shows the harbor before the uplift while the one on the bottom right shows the new quay.
The gradual evolution of beaches often comes from the interaction of longshore drift, a wave-driven process by which sediments move along a beach shore, and other sources of erosion or accretion, such as nearby rivers.