| Coastal Change of Grand Strand Barrier Systems : A Rising Tide Project for Grades 9 and 10
Background |
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Intorduction and Background : Classroom Activities:
| Long-term coastal processes: In addition to the short-term processes, there are long-term coastal processes like sea-level rise that are changing the shape, look, and position of our coasts. Currently, sea level is rising at a rate of 1 to 2 mm/year with many coastlines retreating landward. This rate affects all coastlines around the globedifferently depending on the sediment availability to a system and tectonic land changes. A beach may experience landward movement of beach environments if not enough sand is available, vertical building of beach environments if sediment supply equals the rate of local sea-level change, or seaward building of beach environments if sediment input is greater than local sea-level change. Furthermore, shoreline retreat is aso influenced by the geology over which the shoreline is retreating (more resistant materials to erosion as well as steeply sloping land surfaces will slow coastal retreat landward). |