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
Satellite-Derived Shoreline Change Along Western Long Island, New York
The study found that the western ends of these beaches have been steadily growing, or accreting, at a rate of about 4 meters per year. This trend is attributed to net westward longshore drift, a process driven by ocean currents that move sediment along the coastline. Meanwhile, the central sections of the beaches, particularly areas with groin fields—structures designed to trap sand—showed slower rates of shoreline change, typically between 0.5 and 1.5 meters per year. One notable observation was the presence of so-called sediment waves, or patterns of erosion and accretion lasting several years, moving westward along the shoreline during the