A typical beach includes three main features: a berm, a face, and a shallow offshore bar. As water levels vary, so do the features of the beach. For example, a berm may have a crest and a trough, or it could have long shore bars that extend inland from the shore. All of these features help to shape the beach. Changing water levels also affect the types of vegetation and animals that live along the shore.
A beach is an accumulation of accumulated materials along a shoreline. When viewed in cross section, it is concave. According to the American Heritage Student Science Dictionary (second edition), a beach is the accumulation of sediment, sand, or stone above the sea’s surface. A beach is also characterized by its climate, public safety, and the presence of rip currents. In addition to the land, a beach can have fossils. Some fossils may be hundreds of kilometers inland.
Humans first discovered the advantages of a beach and made it a tourist destination. The British Royal Family was among the first to use a beach as a destination. In the 1840s, King George IV approved a seaside resort in Brighton. The beach became a hub of upper class frivolity. During the 19th century, Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway linked coastal sea resorts with winter travelers. Queen Victoria patronized beaches in the Isle of Wight and Ramsgate in Kent. She made seaside residences fashionable.
New sediments may be added to beaches to stabilize them. However, adding gravel to sandy beaches will alter the morphodynamics of the beach and may cause the loss of some species. This process is also likely to increase over time as suitable sources of sand-fill become exhausted. In addition, adding gravel may cause the extinction of some species, such as sea turtles. But it is essential to note that beach nourishment activities should not degrade the beach’s natural habitats.
A beach is an area on land that forms the edge of a body of water. It may contain pebbles, rocks, and seashell fragments. In most cases, these materials have been formed over time by the weathering of the land. A pebble, for example, is formed by the waves pounding against a nearby cliff. A boulder, on the other hand, may have been worn down into tiny grains of sand.
The composition of a beach depends on the sediments upstream. The moving water and wind transport these sediments, which may contain sand, shells, and marine organisms. The compacted sediments will be less susceptible to erosion, and established vegetation will help slow the fluid’s flow at the surface layer. Particles in suspension are also effected by the waves and increase their erosive power. If these changes continue for many years, the beach will become a rocky or muddy sand-covered beach.
The sand on a beach is made up of various types of minerals. The sand in Hawaii, for instance, is white while the sand on Bermuda is green. But most beaches are made of brown or black sand. The difference in the color and texture of sand is due to the climate of the area. Hence, different minerals weather differently and form a variety of different types of sand. Some are more resistant than others to the weather, like quartz, while others are more durable than others.