Destructive waves

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Waves are caused by the transfer of energy from the wind to the sea due to the friction of the wind on the water’s surface.

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Weak swash, strong backwash.

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Swash

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The distance a wave has travelled.

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Attrition is when waves cause rocks and pebbles to bump into each other and break up.

Find out more about coastal erosion.

Corrasion is when destructive waves pick up beach material (e.g. pebbles) and hurl them at the base of a cliff. Over time this can loosen cliff material forming a wave-cut notch.

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Corrasion, abrasion, hydraulic action, attrition and corrosion/solution.

Find out more about the processes of coastal erosion.

Abrasion occurs as breaking waves, concentrated between the high and low watermarks, which contain sand and larger fragments wear away the base of a cliff or headland. It is commonly known as the sandpaper effect. This process is particularly common in high-energy storm conditions.

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Corrosion/solution is when certain types of cliff erode as a result of weak acids in the sea.

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Freeze-thaw weathering occurs when rocks are porous (contain holes) or permeable (allow water to pass through). Water enters the rock and freezes. The ice expands by around 9%. This causes pressure on the rock until it cracks. Repeated freeze-thaw can cause the rock to break up.

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Mechanical weathering is the breakdown of rock without changing its chemical structure (composition).

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Weathering is the breakdown of rock in situ by the action of rainwater, extremes of temperature, and biological activity.

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Chemical weathering is the breakdown of rock through changing its chemical composition.

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Salt weathering is when salt spray from the sea gets into a crack in a rock. It may evaporate and crystallise, putting pressure on the surrounding rock and weakening the structure.

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Solution, suspension, saltation and traction.

Find out more about coastal transportation.

Longshore drift happens when waves approach the beach at an angle. The swash (waves moving up the beach) carries material up and along the beach. The backwash (waves moving back down the beach) carries material back down the beach at right angles. This is the result of gravity. This process slowly moves material along the beach and provides a link between erosion and deposition. The material is transported through suspension, traction, solution and saltation. Longshore drift provides a link between erosion, transportation and deposition.

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Material is dissolved and carried by the water.

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Traction – large pebbles and boulders are rolled along the seafloor.

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Coastal transportation involves material being transported by the sea being deposited or dropped.

Find out more about coastal deposition.