Coastal Geomorphology

Process analysis paper

Land formation works like the cycle of life – land must first be created, develops, then ends while a new land is created in its place. The study of this process is called geomorphology.
There are different reasons for this process; my focus is on the impact of land that surrounds large bodies of water, or coastal geomorphology.
The major force that morphs coasts is the motion of water, or waves. The velocity dictates the rate at which evolution occurs, but it’s the repetition of movement, regardless of intensity, that is the beacon for change.

Stirring the water
Newton’s third law of motion states: For every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction. Following this line of logic, there needs to be a force that stirs the water. Thus, this force initiates the domino affect of the morphing process, and dictates the velocity of the wave. A wave is conducted either from a wind (most common), earth quake, or by a gravitational force from the Sun, Moon and Earth. So waves due to an earthquake, or a tsunami, would change the land at a faster rate compared to ripples from a slight breeze across the water.

The ripple down affect
After the water has been stirred there is a ripple affect – waves that conjure up in an attempt to establish order. The technical term is capillary waves. Thus, you have waves in conflict – one group with a steeper trough and higher crest, working against the ripples (also take into consideration that wind does not always blow in the same direction). In other words, there’s a pandemonium of waves. But even the smallest of waves have an impact; like I said previously: it’s not the velocity that’s important, it’s the repetition. So even when the ripples are working alone, they still have an affect.

Land Ahead
Approaching the shallow end causes the velocity of the wave to slow down because the sea floor acts as a speed bump. This abrupt pause causes the wave to have an appearance of a mouth getting larger. Then once the “mouth” crashes forward, as if engulfing its prey, there is an undercurrent that “swallows,” then the wave “spits” everything back out. Thus the waves work like hands molding clay: the sediment is being forced in different directions until it is morphed into something new overtime. The speed of evolution depends on the velocity of waves over a period of time.

Coasts
The entire coast includes the land that is in the “speed bump” of the water and extends to the dry part. There are a range of coasts: they can be muddy, rocky, or sandy so any land that surrounds a large body of water is a coast.

Summary
With the exception of muddy coasts that morph largely from the ecosystem, and from tidal channels, the water’s “hands” is the major force that initiates the evolution of a coast. For instance the rocky coasts – a monstrosity of rocks – have indentations as if it were half eaten by a colossal mouth. Waves are major factor of the coast-morphing process, but that’s not always the case. For example wind causes sand to migrate in a certain direction until it forms a sand dune like you would find in a desert. There are many reasons for land to evolve or dissipate, especially in a coastal area where it’s not just forces of the ecosystem and air at work, but the motion of the water as well.