Handbook of Beach and Shoreface Morphodynamics

The beach and adjacent shoreface are the most dynamic part of the Earth’s surface. They represent a narrow zone where waves, tides and winds continuously interact, producing, wherever sediment is available, hundreds of thousands of kilometres of beach systems. Beaches are also the focus of intense pressure from users and developers, and for these reasons alone a knowledge of beach systems and their morphodynamics is critical to their sustainable management. This book is the first to provide an in–depth and holistic view of beach systems, looking both in detail at the dynamics of the shoreface, surf, swash and back beach zones, as well as globally at the range of parameters which influence regional variation in beach systems from the tropics to the poles. Furthermore it examines the relationship between beaches and ancillary dune systems, and has chapters on beach ecology, safety, stratification and barrier evolution. The book is designed for use in the classroom and the office, being aimed at university level students and coastal professionals.

Spis treści:
BEACH SYSTEMS: DEFINITION AND GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE.
Beaches (A. Short).
Global Variation in Beach Systems (A. Short).
BEACH MORPHODYNAMICS.
The Shoreface (P. Cowell, et al.).
The Surf Zone (T. Aagaard & G. Masselink).
The Beachface (M. Hughes & I. Turner)
The Beach Backshore and Beyond (P. Hesp).
BEACH TYPES AND APPLICATIONS.
Wave–Dominated Beaches (A. Short).
The Effect of Tides on Beach Morphodynamics (G. Masselink & I. Turner).
Embayed and Structurally Controlled Beaches (A. Short & G. Masselink).
BEACH SYSTEMS AND IMPACTS.
Beach Modification: Natural Impacts on Beach Morphodynamics (A. Short).
Beach Ecology (A. Short & P. Hesp).
Beach and Dune Stratification (A. Short & P. Hesp).
Beach Hazards and Safety (A. Short).
LARGE SCALE BEACH BEHAVIOUR.
Barrier Morphodynamics (P. Hesp & A. Short).References.
Indexes.

Okładka tylna:
The beach and adjacent shoreface are the most dynamic part of the Earth’s surface. They represent a narrow zone where waves, tides and winds continuously interact, producing, wherever sediment is available, hundreds of thousands of kilometres of beach systems. Beaches are also the focus of intense pressure from users and developers, and for these reasons alone a knowledge of beach systems and their morphodynamics is critical to their sustainable management. This book is the first to provide an in–depth and holistic view of beach systems, looking both in detail at the dynamics of the shoreface, surf, swash and back beach zones, as well as globally at the range of parameters which influence regional variation in beach systems from the tropics to the poles. Furthermore it examines the relationship between beaches and ancillary dune systems, and has chapters on beach ecology, safety, stratification and barrier evolution. The book is designed for use in the classroom and the office, being aimed at university level students and coastal professionals.