Nearly all of the processes that act upon the coast are either directly or indirectly the result of circulation of the atmosphere (wind). Primary among these wind-generated processes are waves and longshore currents. The friction between the moving atmosphere and the water surface causes the formation of waves, which in most circumstances are propagated toward the coast. As these waves approach the coast, they commonly do so at an angle with the shoreline, thus generating longshore currents.
In addition, sustained and strong onshore wind causes setup , also called storm surge or wind tide. This phenomenon can be of considerable significance in coastal processes, in that it provides a mechanism whereby coastal waves and currents may interact with portions of the beach or coastal bays that are not normally inundated. Coastal winds are also important as direct agents of sediment transport as they interact with the dry sand on the back beach and coastal dunes. Some of the largest dunes in...
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References
Blair, T. A., and Fite, R. C., 1957. Weather Elements. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 414p.
Critchfield, H. C., 1974. General Climatology. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 446p.
Fox, W. T., and Davis, R. A., Jr., 1973. Simulation model for storm cycles and beach erosion on Lake Michigan, Geol. Soc. America Bull. 84, 1769–1790.
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© 1982 Hutchinson Ross Publishing Company
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Davis, R.A. (1982). Wind . In: Beaches and Coastal Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30843-1_505
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30843-1_505
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