Coastal Landforms

Coastal Management Coastal Management introduction – key terms and ideas Geographic processes related to Coastal Management Coastal landforms

Coastal Management - overview The geographical processes relevant to coasts What are the interactions between natural environment and human elements of the environment? Coastal landforms Erosion, transportation and depositional processes The perceptions of different groups about coastal management Who are the different groups who use coasts? How do different groups feel about the way coastal environments are managed? Individual, group and government responses to coastal management What are the different ways that individuals can become involved in coastal management? What groups are involved in managing coasts? What are the different responsibilities of the different levels of government? How successful have individuals, groups and different levels of government been at addressing coastal management?

Coastal Management - overview Decision-making processes involved in the management of coasts Development applications Council submissions Council meetings State legislation National initiatives Management of the issue and the implications for sustainability, social justice and equity. What actions promote Sustainability Social justice Equity

COASTAL MANAGEMENT ISSUES Sand dune destabilisation Erosion Coastal developments Introduced species Pollution COASTAL MANAGEMENT ISSUES Recreational uses Water quality Access to the beach

Coastal Landforms There are a variety of different types of coastal landforms. These include: Beaches Ridges and runnels Barrier islands Barrier spits Bay barriers Tombolos Capes Cliffs Arches Stacks Bays Estuaries Deltas Reefs

Landforms - beaches A beach is an area of sediment accumulation (usually sand) exposed to wave action along the coast. Beaches extend from the low tide level inland to dunes, cliffs, or forests.

Landforms – Barrier Islands Narrow offshore sand ridges form barrier islands that protect the coast from waves.

Landforms: Bay barriers Continuous barrier beaches that close off the entrance to a bay. In the upper

Landforms: Barrier spits Beaches that are attached at one end to their source of sediment.

Landforms: Tombolo A tombolo is when a spit of sand grows outward from the shore, eventually connecting an island to the mainland. The long, narrow strip of sand is called a tombolo.

Landforms: Capes Capes are barrier islands that project into the open sea to form a right angle shoreline.

Landforms: Sea Islands Sea islands: these are islands created by the flooding of the mainland by sea level rise.  

Landforms: Sea cliffs Sea cliffs are created by mass wasting as waves undercut a steep shoreline slope. Along a submerging, steep, rocky coastline irregularities in the shoreline will cause waves to refract and focus at shoreline promontories. These are cut back and along the sides by erosion. Eventually such promontories thin and leave erosional remnants called sea

Landforms: Sea cliffs

Landforms: Bays Bays are indentations in the shoreline that form pockets of sheltered sea. Again, many

Coastal landforms: Estuaries An estuary is a coastal wetland where freshwater from runoff and saltwater from tides mix. Most large rivers do not empty abruptly into the sea. Instead, they merge with the

Landforms: Coral Reefs A reef is an organic buildup of carbonate material found fringing parts of the shoreline in the tropics.