Beaches and Coasts

A new edition of a unique textbook that provides an exhaustive treatment of the world's different coasts—with focus on climate change sea-level rise  Coastlines of the world are as diverse and complex as any geological setting on Earth, and understanding them is extremely important. Beaches and Coasts, Second Edition is an exciting and unique textbook that covers the world’s different coasts and details the highly varied processes that have shaped them. This new edition emphasizes the future susceptibility of coast to climate driven stresses and decreasing sediment supplies, and considers various aspects of coastal management that are and/or that need to be undertaken.  Seeking to better educate students and readers about the sustainability of coast and coastal environments, this exciting and unique book offers enlightening coverage of: the Earth’s mobile crust; sediments of coastal environments; impacts of sea level change; weather systems and the effects of storms; the influence of wave energy and different tidal regimes; river deltas; coastal bays; estuaries and lagoons; tidal flats; coastal wetlands; beach and nearshore areas; coastal barriers; tidal inlets; glaciated coasts; and rocky coasts.  Takes an extensive look at the world's varied coasts and covers the many processes that have shaped them over time Shows how coastal processes and landform evolution are expected to be impacted by climate change Includes new coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the 2005 flooding of New Orleans, Hurricane Sandy and its affect on New York and the earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean and Tohoku Lavishly illustrated with over 400 color photographs and figures Draws on a wealth of author experience that broadens the content of chapters and provides for numerous and varied examples Beaches and Coasts, Second Edition is an excellent text for undergraduate and graduate students of coastal geology, coastal processes and coastal environments.

1 Coastline Variability and Functions in the Global Environment 1 2 The Earth’s Mobile Crust 15 3 Sediments and Rocks: Materials of Coastal Environments 55 4 Sea‐Level Change and Coastal Environments 69 5 Weather Systems, Extratropical Storms, and Hurricanes 95 6 Waves and the Coast 133 7 Tides of the Ocean 153 8 River Deltas: The Source of Most of our Coastal Sediments 177 9 Estuaries 203 10 Coastal Lagoons 229 11 Tidal Flats 247 12 Coastal Wetlands 281 13 Beach and Nearshore Environment 307 14 Coastal Dunes 339 15 Barrier Systems 359 16 Tidal Inlets 405 17 Glaciated Coasts 453 18 Rocky Coasts 489 Index 513