USGS-led Study: Shoreline Seasonality of California’s Beaches
One common pattern of beach morphology is the seasonal cycle of the shoreline. Shorelines often show cycles of erosion and recovery year after year, which results in recurring widening and narrowing of the beach. Scientists know that these cycles are related to ocean waves, and that larger waves cause movement of beach sand offshore whereas smaller waves move this sand back to the beach. Knowledge of these seasonal cycles comes from a long history of scientific measurement of beaches, and a general consensus is that beaches erode during winter conditions and recover during the summer. These descriptions of winter and