The beach has been shown to lower stress levels, boost happiness and provide a host of other health benefits. It’s no wonder that so many of us crave the beach! The calming waves, sand in your toes and the smell of salt air are all natural mood boosters. Not to mention the Vitamin D that you can get from soaking up some sun!
Humans crave novel experiences, and a trip to the beach offers just that. The sand and water provide endless opportunities to engage your senses in new ways – from the taste of the sea breeze and the smell of sunscreen, to the sight of the rippling waves and colorful fish beneath the surface. This stimulation of the senses is great for your brain, as it can help you to relax and detach from stressful situations in life.
While the beach is often thought of as a quiet and serene place, it can also be quite active. For example, some beaches are made up of shells deposited by tidal flow, forming characteristic ridges called cheniers that may extend for tens of kilometers. Other beaches are formed from eroded volcanic rock, especially on islands. The sand on these beaches tends to be much finer than that found on a normal beach.
In addition to the accreting and eroding processes that create beaches, sudden changes in wave conditions can drastically alter the shape of a beach. This is especially true in the surf zone. When waves form on the beach, they move sand from the beach toward deeper water in a process known as longshore drift. This occurs even when there are no wind or current at the beach, but is most noticeable when a large storm or hurricane brings a surge of water onto the shore.
Beaches can also be full of sand and debris that has been moved by storms or currents, and some beaches are filled with fossils from prehistoric plants and animals. For example, the Jurassic Coast in southwestern Great Britain has thousands of dinosaur footprints in its cliffs and beaches.