WHAT ARE WAVES?

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KEYWORDS: CREST, TROUGH, FETCH, WAVE HEIGHT, WAVE LENGTH

DRAW A DIAGRAM TO SHOW THE FEATURES OF A WAVE

HOW ARE WAVES FORMED?

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CONSTRUCTIVE WAVES

DESTRUCTIVE WAVES

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SHAZARD MOHAMMED Geography : Waves and Coastal Engineering

shazmohgeo@gmail.com

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TRANSPORT

LANDFORMS
BEACHES

LONG SHORE DRIFT

LANDFORMS
WAVE-CUT PLATFORM

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CAVES

SPITS
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TOMBOLOS

ARCHES

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STACKS
DIAGRAM:

LEARN TO DRAW....

SAND BAR

STUMPS

NOTCH
MUD FLATS
CLIFFS

A DEFINITION OF DEPOSITION

A DEFINITION OF EROSION

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SHAZARD
MOHAMMED Geography : Waves and Coastal Engineering
.................................................................................................................................

shazmohgeo@gmail.com
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HOW DO WAVES ERODE AND TRANSPORT ITS LOAD

ERODING
It is always good to study smart, make links...when doing the ways in which waves erode,
remember the ways in which rivers erode. The names and principles are the same. For
instance, hydraulic action would always deal with the variation of pressure either via a liquid
(like salt water) or air in rocks along the coast or river bed and even when dealing with cars!

SHAZARD MOHAMMED Geography : Waves and Coastal Engineering

TRANSPORTING
Before you begin to write remember that waves transport material along the coast via the main process of
long shore drift.... along the shore, materials drift. But the methods by which the materials move can
vary due to the
Type of waves constructive vs. destructive
Type of materials soft sandstone vs. hard granite rocks
The coast is it on the sheltered coast or exposed coast? which would also determine the type of
waves found in that area e.g. The Gulf of Paria vs. Mayaro coastlines.
The impact of man by placing sea walls, groynes etc would alter the movement along the coast.

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MITIGATION OF COASTAL EROSION...a hazard of the coast: As the worlds population grow, the need for space is ever increasing. The coastline provides one of the easiest areas to settle
on...the flat land, access to ports and general shipping: imports and exports are made easy and cheap thus it a preferred location of many major cities of the world. From New York to Shanghai and even Port-of-Spain most
major cities lie on the coast. But it is at the coast that the interaction of man with his environment is even greater, from the rising tides caused by the moon, storm surges from hurricanes and even tsunamis from earthquakes
impact the coastline first. There is a new and even greater threat to man along the coast and it is that of Climate Change and Global Sea Level Rise...subtle but drastic changes that could see major cities fighting for their existence
as the sea slowly takes the land away from man. These are some of the ways man is fighting to save this land:

HARD ENGINEERING - controlled disruption of natural processes by using man-

SOFT/GREEN ENGINEERING - is the use of ecological principles and

made structures. It usually seen as a quick fix solution to the problem, but with damaging
effects on the natural environment and ecosystem.........!Think!Concrete/Steel = Hard

practices to reduce erosion and achieve the stabilization and safety of shorelines and
the area. This is a more long term and slow process and it seeks to bring nature into
balance with the activities of man. It is usually cheaper and in the long run, effective.

GROYNES - Wooden or

SEA WALLS - is a form

ARTIFICIAL REEFS-

concrete barrier built at

right angles to a beach in
order to block the
movement of material along
the beach by long-shore
drift

of hard and strong coastal

defence constructed on the
inland part of a coast to
reduce the effects of strong
waves.

is a man-made, underwater
structure, typically built for
the purpose of promoting
marine life in areas of
generally featureless bottom
and acting as a wave
breaker to increase
accretion.

Most are done with a rocky

effect or interlocking blocks
(see below)to dissipate the
power of the waves and
encourage the growth of
organisms such as
crustaceans and algae.

PLANTING
MANGROVES - roots
of mangrove plants
provide a habitat for
oysters and help to impede
water flow, thereby
enhancing the deposition
of sedimentsthey add to
the land area over time

PLANTING
MARRAM GRASS
& COCONUTCoarse perennial grass
that flourishes in sandy
areas. Because of its
tough, creeping roots, it
is widely used to hold
coastal sand dunes in
place. They are

SEAGRASSES - are
submerged flowering plants that
have adapted to life in the sea. They
differ from what we refer to as
'seaweed', in that they are plants
with vessels and well-defined root
and shoot systems. Seagrasses have
been able to successfully colonize
the marine environment because of
five properties:
1.
2.

3.
4.

the ability to live in a

salty environment;
the ability to function
normally when fully
submerged;
a well developed
anchoring system;
the ability to compete
with other organisms
under the more or less
stable conditions of the
marine environment.

Stabilizers of bottom sediments;

they provide protection against
erosion along the coastline.

SHAZARD MOHAMMED Geography : Waves and Coastal Engineering

shazmohgeo@gmail.com

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