The World's Beaches: A Global Guide to the Science of the Shoreline

COVER......Page 1
CONTENTS......Page 8
FOREWORD BY THE DONOR, THE SANTA AGUILA FOUNDATION......Page 12
PREFACE......Page 14
PART I: THE GLOBAL CHARACTER OF BEACHES......Page 18
CROSSROADS OF HISTORY......Page 22
AVENUES OF COMMERCE......Page 24
NATURE’S MOST DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT......Page 27
VARIED MATERIALS......Page 29
OBSTACLE COURSES......Page 31
TO BE OR NOT TO BE......Page 34
COMBER’S DELIGHT OR NATURE’S TRASH COLLECTOR?......Page 35
BEACH STUFF......Page 40
A NATURAL LABORATORY......Page 42
RECIPE FOR MAKING A BEACH......Page 44
CLASSIFICATION OF COASTS AND BEACHES......Page 45
CLASSIFICATIONS AND A GLOBAL MODEL......Page 52
BEACH SEDIMENTS AND THE PLATE TECTONIC SETTING......Page 54
BEACHES AS LANDFORMS......Page 57
CLIMATE AND TYPES OF COASTS......Page 60
THE WORLD’S LONGEST BEACH......Page 62
WE STAND ON THEIR SHOULDERS......Page 63
SOCIETAL CLASSIFICATIONS OF BEACHES......Page 65
3: OF WHAT ARE BEACHES MADE? SEDIMENTS......Page 68
BEACH SEDIMENTS......Page 70
TERRIGENOUS SEDIMENTS......Page 78
HEAVY MINERALS......Page 81
CARBONATE SEDIMENTS......Page 84
TERRIGENOUS BEACH MINERALS......Page 85
BEACH MINING......Page 86
BEACH ROCK......Page 93
THE MOST DYNAMIC PLACE ON EARTH......Page 98
WAVES......Page 99
CURRENTS (LONGSHORE, ONSHORE, OFFSHORE)......Page 105
TIDES......Page 110
OTHER WATER-LEVEL CHANGES......Page 113
WIND......Page 114
SEA-LEVEL RISE......Page 116
THE GLOBAL PICTURE......Page 117
BEACH PROFILES: THE CRAB’S -EYE VIEW......Page 120
BEACH PLANS: THE BIRD’S-EYE VIEW......Page 128
PART II: HOW TO READ A BEACH......Page 132
6: THE BEACH SURFACE UP CLOSE: IMPRINTS OF TIDES, CURRENTS, AND WAVES......Page 136
NEARSHORE, BEACH, AND TIDAL-FLAT FEATURES......Page 137
SWASH AND BACKWASH FEATURES......Page 143
FOAM......Page 152
OTHER SURFACE FEATURES......Page 154
7: ESCAPE FROM WITHIN: AIR AND WATER IN THE BEACH......Page 156
KNEE-DEEP IN SAND: AIRY BEACHES......Page 158
AIR ESCAPE STRUCTURES......Page 161
WATERY BEACHES AND WATER ESCAPE STRUCTURES......Page 162
WIND ON WET SAND AND MUD......Page 170
WET-TO-DRY TRANSITION STRUCTURES......Page 172
WIND ON DRY SEDIMENT......Page 173
DUNES AND DUNE STRUCTURES......Page 175
SOUNDS OF THE SAND......Page 178
DUNE PLANTS: SURVIVING IN A DESERT......Page 182
FULGURITES......Page 183
9: BEACH CREATURES: TRACKS, TRAILS, AND TRACES......Page 186
BEACH ANIMALS FROM MICRO TO MACRO......Page 187
MACROFAUNAL CLUES......Page 189
EVIDENCE OF THE HABITAT ROLE OF ANIMALS......Page 199
10: CARBONATE BEACHES: SEASHELLS AND THE STORIES THEY TELL......Page 202
CARBONATE SHELLS, SKELETONS, AND SECRETIONS......Page 203
OTHER CARBONATE-PRODUCING ORGANISMS......Page 206
NONCALCAREOUS PLANT AND ANIMAL REMAINS......Page 210
SHELL ABUNDANCE......Page 212
WHERE DO SEASHELLS COME FROM?......Page 216
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BROKEN SEASHELLS......Page 219
SHELL ROUNDING......Page 222
ORIENTATION OF SHELLS ON THE BEACH......Page 223
SECONDARY SHELL COLOR......Page 225
SHELL COLLECTING: AN ENVIRONMENTAL AFTERTHOUGHT......Page 228
BEDDING......Page 230
BLACK SANDS AND CROSS BEDDING......Page 232
BURROWS AND BIOTURBATION......Page 234
EVIDENCE OF A RETREATING BEACH......Page 236
PART III: THE GLOBAL THREAT TO BEACHES......Page 240
12: BEACHES AT RISK: SEA-LEVEL RISE AND THE HUMAN RESPONSE......Page 244
COASTAL ENGINEERING......Page 246
OTHER DAMAGING ACTIVITIES......Page 256
WATER POLLUTION......Page 258
OIL SPILLS......Page 260
A TOXIC GREEN WAVE ON THE BEACH......Page 262
THE ENVIRONMENTAL TRUTHS ABOUT BEACHES......Page 266
13: THE URBANIZED BEACH: FROM MIDDENS TO THE MAELSTROM OF DEVELOPMENT......Page 268
GLOSSARY......Page 276
SELECTED REFERENCES FOR FURTHER READING......Page 290
INDEX......Page 296