What is coastal transportation?

Coastal transportation is the movement of materials along the coast by the sea.

Coastal Transportation

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 – large pebbles and boulders are rolled along the seafloor.

Saltation – beach material is bounced along the seafloor.

Suspension – beach material is suspended and carried by the waves.

Solution – material is dissolved and carried by the water.

The four main processes of coastal transportation

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

Related Topics

Use the images below to explore related GeoTopics.

What is longshore drift?

What is coastal deposition?

Landforms of coastal deposition

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