What is coastal transportation?

AQA GCSE Geography > Physical Landscapes in the UK > Coastal Landscapes in the UK > What is coastal transportation?

What is coastal transportation?

Coastal transportation is the movement of material in the sea and along the coast by waves. The movement of material along the coast is called longshore drift.

Although longshore drift is the main process of transportation, the material moves in four different ways. These are:

traction
saltation
suspension
solution

The four main processes of coastal transportation

Traction involves large pebbles and boulders being rolled along the seafloor. High-energy destructive waves are most likely to transport material by traction.

Saltation involves small stones, pebbles, and silt being bounced along the seafloor. Both destructive and constructive waves can move this smaller material by saltation.

Transportation by suspension is when fine particles of clay and sediment are suspended in the sea and transported by both destructive and constructive waves.

When material is dissolved and carried by the sea, it is transported in solution.

The video below shows transportation in action on a beach at Flamborough. Can you identify the processes of transportation?

Summary

What Is Coastal Transportation?
Coastal transportation is the movement of sediment along the coast by the action of the sea.
Longshore Drift
Waves hitting the coast at an angle cause material to move in a zigzag pattern along the shoreline.
Traction
Heavy materials like boulders are rolled along the seabed by powerful waves.
Saltation
Smaller pebbles bounce along the seabed, lifted and dropped by moving water.
Suspension
Fine particles like silt are carried in the water, often over long distances.
Solution
Some minerals dissolve in seawater and are transported as invisible load.