Summary
Contents
Subject index
This unique addition to reference literature provides an introduction to the major concepts and contemporary issues that are essential for students of environmental science and environmental studies to know. With over 200 entries authored by world-class names like Anthony Brazel, John Day and Edward Keller, this text is divided into six sections: Environmental Science, Environments, Paradigms & Concepts, Processes & Dynamics, Scales & Techniques, and Environmental Issues.
Coasts
Coasts
Some of the most dynamic environments on Earth are where the ocean meets the land. The coastal landscape, because it is so dynamic, is capable of very rapid change. It is not unusual, in terms of one person's lifetime, to see many coastal changes in a particular area. Sea cliffs retreat, coastal sand dunes erode, new inlets to barrier islands form, and beaches significantly widen or narrow.
Coastlines of the world may be divided into those that are emerging and those that are experiencing submergence (Fig. 15). Emergent coastlines may be related to active tectonic processes that uplift the land, volcanic eruption that builds new land into what was the sea, and rapid deposition of sediment that allows the land to move seaward, as for example ...
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