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.
About the Author
Andrew Short is an honorary professor in the School of Geosciences at the University of Sydney. Since 1991, he has been National Co-ordinator of the Australian Beach Safety and Management Program in co-operation with Surf Life Saving Australia. He is interested in the processes and morphology of coastal systems. Present research focuses on the beach and barrier systems of Australia, both in terms of the morphodynamics of representative systems in variable wave and tide environments, and in the nature, hazards and usage of all Australia beach systems.
