Coastal Environments and Global Change

The coastal zone is one of the most dynamic environments on our planet and is much affected by global change, especially sea-level rise. Coastal environments harbour valuable ecosystems, but they are also hugely important from a societal point of view. This book, which draws on the expertise of 21 leading international coastal scientists, represents an up-to-date account of coastal environments and past, present and future impacts of global change. The first chapter of the book outlines key principles that underpin coastal systems and their behaviour. This is followed by a discussion of key processes, including sea level change, sedimentation, storms, waves and tides, that drive coastal change. The main part of the book consists of a discussion of the main coastal environments (beaches, dunes, barriers, salt marshes, tidal flats, estuaries, coral reefs, deltas, rocky and glaciated coasts and coastal groundwater), and how these are affected by global change. The final chapter highlights strategies for coping with coastal change. Readership: final year undergraduate and postgraduate-level students on coastal courses in a wide range subjects, including geography, environmental management, geology, oceanography and coastal/civil engineering. The book will also be a valuable resource for researchers and applied scientists dealing with coastal environments. Additional resources for this book can be found at: href="http://www.wiley.com/go/masselink/coastal">www.wiley.com/go/masselink/coastal

Auteur

Gerd Masselink is a Professor in Coastal Geomorphology and Associate Head of Marine Science in the School of Marine Science and Engineering at Plymouth University, UK. Gerd specialises in nearshore sediment transport processes, surf zone hydrodynamics and beach morphodynamics.

Roland Gehrels is a Professor in Physical Geography at the University of York, UK. He studies sea-level changes over various timescales, but has a particular interest in regional sea-level variability during past centuries. Roland is the President of the Commission on Coastal and Marine Processes of the International Quaternary Union (INQUA).

The Editors have published over 160 peer-reviewed articles in coastal and sea-level research.

Contenu
Contributors, viii About the Companion Website, ix

1 Introduction to Coastal Environments and Global Change, 1
Gerd Masselink and Roland Gehrels

1.1 Setting the scene, 1

1.2 Coastal morphodynamics, 5

1.3 Climate change, 13

1.4 Modelling coastal change, 18

1.5 Summary, 24

Key publications, 25

References, 25

2 Sea Level, 28
Glenn A. Milne

2.1 Introduction, 28

2.2 Quaternary sea-level change, 34

2.3 Recent and future sea-level change, 42

2.4 Summary, 49

Key publications, 50

Acknowledgements, 50

References, 50

3 Environmental Control: Geology and Sediments, 52
Edward J. Anthony

3.1 Geology and sediments: setting boundary conditions for coasts, 52

3.2 Geology and coasts, 54

3.3 Sediments and coasts, 62

3.4 Human impacts on sediment supply to coasts, 75

3.5 Climate change, geology and sediments, 75

3.6 Summary, 76

Key publications, 77

References, 77

4 Drivers: Waves and Tides, 79
Daniel C. Conley

4.1 Physical drivers of the coastal environment, 79

4.2 Waves, 79

4.3 Tides, 96

4.4 Summary, 102

Key publications, 102

References, 103

5 Coastal Hazards: Storms and Tsunamis, 104
Adam D. Switzer

5.1 Coastal hazards, 104

5.2 Extratropical storms and tropical cyclones, 108

5.3 Tsunamis, 114

5.4 Overwash, 118

5.5 Palaeostudies of coastal hazards, 121

5.6 Integrating hazard studies with coastal planning, 123

5.7 Cyclones in a warmer world, 125

5.8 Summary, 126

Key publications, 126

References, 126

6 Coastal Groundwater, 128
William P. Anderson, Jr.

6.1 Introduction, 128

6.2 The subterranean estuary, 129

6.3 Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), 133

6.4 Controls on SGD variability, 134

6.5 Human influences, 142

6.6 Influence of global climate change, 146

6.7 Summary, 147

Key publications, 148

References, 148

7 Beaches, 149
Gerben Ruessink and Roshanka Ranasinghe

7.1 Introduction, 149

7.2 Nearshore hydrodynamics, 153

7.3 Surf-zone morphology, 158

7.4 Anthropogenic activities, 167

7.5 Climate change, 171

7.6 Summary, 175

Key publications, 175

References, 176

8 Coastal Dunes, 178
Karl F. Nordstrom

8.1 Conditions for dune formation, 178

8.2 Dunes as habitat, 183

8.3 Dunes in developed areas, 183

8.4 Dune restoration and management, 186

8.5 Effects of future climate change, 190

8.6 Summary, 192

Key publications, 192

References, 192

9 Barrier Systems, 194
Sytze van Heteren

9.1 Definition and description of barriers and barrier systems, 194

9.2 Classification, 195

9.3 Barrier sub-environments, 202

9.4 Theories on barrier formation, 203

9.5 Modes of barrier behaviour, 203

9.6 Drivers in barrier development and behaviour, 206

9.7 Barrier sequences as archives of barrier behaviour, 219

9.8 Lessons from numerical and conceptual models, 219

9.9 Coastal-zone management and global change, 221

9.10 Future perspectives, 221

9.11 Summary, 223

Key publications, 224

References, 225 10 Tidal Flats and Salt Marshes, 227
*Kerrylee Rogers and Colin D. Woodroffe&lt...