Barrier Beaches of Long Island, NY
There are many different types of coasts that exist throughout the United States. The south shore of Long Island has a unique types of coast known as a barrier beach. Barrier beaches are long narrow land forms that are composed of sand and other lose sediments. These sediments are brought together by the actions of waves, currents and storm surges. Barrier beaches are subject to constant changes by the same forces. Sand is constantly eroded in one area an deposited in another. Barrier coasts are important for a number of reasons; they protect the mainland of Long Island from the open ocean and flooding during storms, for recreational use and the unique ecosystems which exist on barrier beaches.
Barrier Beaches stretch along the entire east coast of the United States. The barrier beaches from Long Island to Maine are known as Glaciated Coasts because their formation was assisted by glaciers. Eighteen thousands years ago a glacier covered most of the eastern US. This glacier terminated at present day Long Island. About fifteen thousands years ago the glacier began to retreat. As it melted it left behind mounds of rubble, called moraines. This particular glacier left behind two moraines because its final recession was a two part process. These two moraines are the Ronkonkoma Moraine and the Harbor Hill Moraine. The Ronkonkoma Moraine is located in central Long Island and the Harbor Hill Moraine is located on the northern part of Long Island. Besides the two moraines the glaciers deposited great amounts of debris offshore. This debris supplies the sand needed to create and maintain a barrier beach system (Hoel 16-18).
A typical barrier coast consist of t...
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...cials to ban or greatly curtail vehicular and sometimes pedestrian traffic on parts of beaches where Plovers are nesting. Fire Island National Seashore has been identified as one of six crucial Plover nesting sites. In some cases beach officials have had to ban kite flying from nest areas because the Plover mistakes the kites for a predator. While the kite is in the air the birds will not leave the nest for food, subsequently plovers have starved to death. The plover is just one example of how beach officials have to balance the recreational and ecological resources of the barrier beach (Appleton & Sharp 35-38).
Works Cited
Appleton, Elaine, & Sharp, Bill. (1994) Plight of the Plovers. National Parks, 68, 35-38.
Hoel, Michael L. Land's Edge, A Natural History of Barrier Beaches >From Maine to North Carolina. The little book publishing co. :1986.
See Location Map of the coastline being studied from Herne Bay to Reculver.
Investigation on Coastal Erosion In Porlock Bay Aims ---- Aim 1: To find out if beach material is moved across Porlock Bay by longshore drift. Aim 2: To find out which type of sea defense is best for Porlock bay. If L.S.D. (long shore drift) were taking place I would expect to find: a) Deposition at one end of the bay and against any abstractions such as groynes. b)
Investigating the Geographical Processes that are Affecting the Physical and Built Coastal Environment There are three geographical processes that are affecting the physical and built coastal environment, they are; erosion, deposition, and transportation. Erosion is the group of natural processes, including weathering, dissolution, abrasion, corrosion, and transportation, by which material is worn away from the earth’s surface, this is mainly caused by wind, running water, and waves breaking on the coast. Deposition is the depositing something or the laying down of matter by a natural process. Transportation is when sand is moved along the coast by long shore drift. At North Cronulla beach erosion is evident.
The whole island is in the shape of a giant square with white sandy beaches full of people sunbathing, swimming and fishing right on the shoreline. From the end of the hot pavement parking lot to shore of the beach is an ocean of soft white sand. The pearlescent white sand seems to know how to invade every nook and cranny almost as if it enjoys it. Walking around the beach on the fluffy whiteness surrounding the parking lot, the seagulls are fighting over scraps of food on the ground. “Sandy beach ecosystems provide invaluable services to humankind. Their functions have been exploited through history, with significant anthropogenic effects (Lucrezi, 2015)”. This white sandy beach is a beautiful refuge from the mundane grind of everyday life. The smell of the misty ocean air mixed with the sound of seagulls hovering above and kids playing is a tonic for the mind. The feel of the sand between their toes and the waves crashing over them as people swim in the water, or the jerk of a fishing pole when someone is catching a fish makes Fred Howard Park one of the best places to relax. Standing on the beach looking out on the water, people are kayaking and windsurfing. The lifeguards watching vigilantly in their bright red shirt and shorts, blowing their whistles when they see someone being unsafe. After a long day of swimming and laying around visitors head back over the soft white sand to the showers, in order to rinse off the menacing sand that clings to everything like a bad habit. Everyone rushes over the hot pavement burning their feet to reach their cars so they can put away their beach paraphernalia which is still covered in the white sand, nearly impossible to completely leave behind, so when they get home it serves as a reminder of where they were that
Longshore drift influences the deposition and erosion of sediments. Waves erode the coast and transport the eroded material along the coastline. Over a period of time, the material will be deposited on a beach or form a larger feature such as a spit. Groynes are structures built at equal intervals along the coastline. Their purpose is to restrict longshore drift, preventing coastal erosion.
The Long Island Sound is an estuary, and is in fact one of the largest in the world. An estuary is a place where salt water from the ocean mixes with fresh water from the rivers that drain from the land. Moreover, like other estuaries, the Long Island Sound has an abundance of fish and other waterfowl that add to the natural balance of the island, as well as one of the most important economic factors (Tedesco). Like other estuaries around the world, the Sound provides breeding, feeding, nesting, and nursery areas for many species that will spend most of their adult lives in the oceans (Long Island Sound Study). Despite these similarities to other estuaries, the Long Island Sound is unique from anywhere else in the world. Unlike other estuaries, the Long Island Sound does not just have one connection to the sea but it has two. It has two major sources of fresh water flowing into the bay that empty into the ocean. It combines this two-...
coastal area it is also subject to erosion by the sea so we will be
This is a result from the new levee system. This system prevents the natural ways of sediment re-depositing along the riverbank and wetlands. The levees lead the sediment to deposit off the continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. (15) This adds to the loss of wetlands along the coast. Wetlands are important to the economy in more than one way. They serve as homes for fish which fishermen catch then sell and they protect the mainland from getting the full effect of storm surge during a hurricane. “Every 2.7 miles of wetlands absorbs one foot of storm surge” (1.2). Without wetlands and barrier islands working as a barrier, the mainland could experience even more damage during
In earth’s history there have been four ice ages that are known to man. As the temperature kept changing from hot to cold during this time it caused the glacier from Canada to move advance and retreat. With this process the great lake formed over thousands of years. As the glaciers proceeded to retreat during the warmer temperature they erode away and deposit sediments which formed the beach that we now have. An example of a beach that is ancient and was formed do to glaciers can be found in Manistique. The glaciers also caused erosion. When the glacier proceeded to move back on forth they carved out what is known the great lakes and shaped the land. Transportation of rocks can also be seen by the glaciers. One for the reasons that the scientist know the glaciers came from Canada is because there is Canadian rocks found through the United States. You can find pieces of these rocks in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. As you can see, Glaciers have played a big role in forming Michigan and the Great
Semaphore Beach is affected by many factors such as natural processes and human impacts including marine litter and the discharge of stormwater. Therefore, several plans have been employed to ensure that the coast is supported through the method of counteracting erosion. However in the future, many management strategies have been put into consideration as well as the environmental, economic and social impacts as well as the predicted consequences. These impacts include traffic related incidents, noises and air pollution and the disruption of wildlife and the erosion of dunes. A method that should be considered for future management of the beach is the use of a concave sea wall, although efficient, this structure would be quite costly. Without the use of coastal management, Semaphore Beach would be unsupported, therefore negatively being affected by a variety of
Sandy beaches are highly dynamic environments that have many valuable environmental impacts including: providing protection to inland areas, dissipation of wave energy, are important tourist destinations, and serve as a home to a variety of marine and coastal species such as sea turtles and coral reefs (Absalonsen and Dean, 2010). Both of Florida’s coasts have many sandy beaches, and climate change has impacted many species of fauna such as sea turtles and coral reefs, as well as the shoreline position of Florida’s coastline. In order to understand the impacts of climate change on Florida’s coastline, it is important to describe Florida’s geologic and climate settings.
This is when the rock fragments from Otakamiro Headland are ripped away by waves, broken down by attrition and transported along the coast where they are deposited as beaches and sand dunes. The movement of the material is called Longshore Drift; the direction of the deposit depends on the direction of the winds.
The most basic revetments consist of timber slants with a possible rock infill. Waves break against the revetments, which dissipate and absorb the energy. The shoreline is protected by the beach material held behind the barriers, as the revetments trap some of the material. They may be watertight, covering the slope completely, or porous, to allow water to filter through after the wave energy has been dissipated. Most revetments do not significantly interfere with transport of longshore drift. Since the wall absorbs energy instead of reflecting it, the surf progressively erodes and destroys the revetment; therefore, maintenance is ongoing, as determined by the structural material and product quality. (“Shoreline Protection - Types of Shoreline Protection” by science.jrank.org)
People from all over the world go to beautiful beaches that are filled with water as clear as ice or as beautiful as diamonds. But, what will happen if we do not conserve the appealing sites that draw attraction to the public? Contaminated beaches has become a controversial issue to the public because of the causal problem, the harm to the people and marine animals, the government agencies supporting or opposing pollution, and the industries involved in creating such unlawful decisions. To create and find a solution, we must first find the core to the problem.