FLUCTUATIONS IN LITTORAL DRIFT

Abstract

The long assumed uniform movement of sand along the coast produced by wave action can be disputed when the interaction of storm sequences and swell is considered. Storm waves form a protective bar, which essentially puts material back into circulation for the oblique swell to work upon. The resulting longshore transport is swift whilst the bar exists but decreases to negligible proportions once it is denuded and the normal swell-built beach profile recurs. This impulsive drift has many implications for engineers and geomorphologists and to researchers attempting to predict annual rates of transport.