Humans and the coastal zone

Beaches and, more generally, the coastal zone occur at the interface between the three major natural systems at the earth's surface – atmosphere, ocean and land surface. Processes operating in all three of these systems are responsible for shaping the coastal zone, and the interaction between the three different sets of processes makes the coastal zone an extremely dynamic one. The coastal zone is also a zone of transfer of material from the land surface to the ocean system, with sediments eroded by rivers, glaciers, etc., being moved to the beach and nearshore, and ultimately some to the ocean floor. In some areas accumulation of sediments may add to the land mass.

The focus of this book is on describing the physical processes that act to shape the coast and the landforms that make up the coast. As in any other branch of applied science, we can study these for their own interest, without the need to justify it in terms of potential benefits. However, in addition to its geomorphological significance, the coastal zone is particularly important from a human perspective. A large proportion of the world population is concentrated in the coastal zone, including almost all of the major cities. The coastal zone is used for fishing, transportation, recreation, waste disposal, cooling and drinking water and is potentially a source of energy from tidal and wave power.