Coastal geography

Coastal geography studies shorelines and coastal places, including the physical processes that shape them and the ways people use and alter them.

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Longshore drift: The movement of sediment along a coast driven by waves approaching at an angle. It redistributes beach material and helps explain why one stretch of shore gains sediment while another loses it.
Beach: A shore zone where loose sediment accumulates under wave and current action. Beaches are dynamic coastal landforms whose shape reflects sediment supply and wave conditions.
Coastal management: The planning and regulation of human activities and natural resources in coastal areas. It applies geographic understanding to competing demands on shorelines and coastal ecosystems.
Coastal urbanization: The growth and concentration of settlements and infrastructure in coastal areas. Urban development changes land cover and exposure while increasing pressure on coastal resources.
Dynamic equilibrium: A condition in which ongoing processes balance over time, maintaining a system within a changing range. It contrasts with a fixed-shoreline view by treating coastal form as continually adjusted by processes.
Coastal erosion: The wearing away and removal of rock or sediment along a coast. Wave action and other processes erode shorelines, changing their position and form.
Estuary: A coastal water body where river water mixes with seawater. Estuaries connect river and marine processes and support distinctive coastal environments.
Coastal engineering: The design and maintenance of structures and interventions in coastal environments. Engineering choices alter sediment movement, wave exposure, and shoreline form.
Coastal squeeze: The loss of intertidal habitat as rising seas push shorelines against fixed defenses or development. It shows how human barriers can prevent coastal ecosystems from shifting inland.
Shoreline stabilization: Measures intended to hold a shoreline in place or reduce its movement. It contrasts with approaches that accommodate natural shoreline migration.