Title: The beaches are on the move! : longshore drift information sheet
Author: National Rivers Authority Southern Region
Document Type: Monograph
Abstract:
This four page booklet introduces the problem of longshore drift along the coasts of southern England. Shingle beaches are an important part of sea defences in Southern region, they act as a cushion against the pounding waves, but they are on the move. The sand and broken stones for our beaches came from the continental shelf when the last ice age finished. Ground up sea shells and flints from eroded chalk cliffs have added more beach material since. Over the centuries, because the wind and rain usually come from the south west, the shingle has moved along the coast to the east. It does not take many days of watching to see that the stones are still on the move. At Dungeness, for example, the shoreline westward of the point is eroding at about 2 metres per year, while to the north the beach tends to accrete or build towards France.
Publisher: National Rivers Authority
Publication Date: 1993
Publication Place: Worthing
Subject Keywords: Beaches; Coastal management; Coastal erosion; Harbours
Geographic Keywords: East Sussex; West Sussex; Hampshire; Isle of Wight
Extent: 4
Permalink: http://www.environmentdata.org/archive/ealit:3982
Total file downloads: 308
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