Shorelines Shorelines are our interface with the ocean. They are very important sites of recreation, transportation, and ecological health. Understanding the processes along shores are essential for land use planning as well as interpreting ancient sediments. Constructional shorelines are sites of sedimentation, both at river mouths and due to the redistribution of sediment along coasts.
Shorelines can switch between erosional and constructional processes rapidly in both time and space.
Well developed beaches tend to form in areas with high sediment supply and high wave energy. They are constructional features. Tidal range and climate can vary and will affect the geometry of a beach, but beaches can form in a full range of conditions. Wave action is critical to beaches. Waves come in off the ocean, and start to feel the shore, especially on the upper shore face.