A beach is a landform that forms part of the shoreline of various bodies of water such as an ocean, a sea or even a lake. It is made up of particles of different rock types such as sand, pebbles, shingle, gravel and cobblestones that are deposited by the waves or tides in a particular area.
A sandbar is the most common form of bar formation. It is a fully or partially submerged bar of sand and silt sediments brought in by the backwash in the waves especially during stormy seasons.
The backwash in the waves is a strong turbulence in the waves that creates a trough on the sandy bottom of the ocean beach as it swirls out into the sea. Some of the sand that is deposited gets carried forward onto the beach but most of the sand particles get deposited off the beach in a form of a bar called a sandbar.
Sandbars are the first line of natural coastal defences against strong wave conditions. These sandbars tend to migrate slowly onshore under calm wave conditions but rapidly offshore under more energetic wave conditions.
In addition, there is a feedback mechanism that mainly affects the location of these nearshore bars and their migration depending on changes in wave forcing. This is referred to as a G-ratio and is the ratio of the sandbar’s depth in the water column to the height of the wave.
This ratio depends on the frequency of the sandbars’ migration and on the intensity of the waves. It is a feedback mechanism that is not permanent but can change with the changing wave climate.
Besides the sandbars, there are also many other interesting things that can be found on the beaches of the oceans. For example, there are a lot of sea turtles and seals that can be seen on the beaches of the oceans and they all use them to lay their eggs and to feed their babies.
Another thing that can be found on the beaches is microfossils such as the calcareous oozes. These oozes are very important because they help to preserve the life of the marine plants and animals that live in the oceans.
The calcareous oozes have been in existence for millions of years and they have also helped the marine plants and animals to survive and thrive.
There are a lot of other types of marine plants and animals that can be found on the beaches including kelps, clams, oysters, worms, prawns and crabs. The kelps are a type of algae that is very good for the health of the oceans and their creatures while the oysters, clams, crabs, and worms are a very important source of food for the fish and other marine organisms in the oceans.
The beaches are also a home to some interesting marine birds such as the sandpiper and the plovers. They help to keep the oceans clean and fresh and they also help in the migration of marine organisms from one place to another. These sea birds are also very helpful in protecting the oceans and their creatures from other animals such as sharks.