What Do Beach Drift and Longshore Current Do?

Beach drift and longshore current move sediments up and down the beach. In addition, they carry large amounts of debris. The sediments that they carry are called littoral. If you’re wondering what these two processes do, keep reading. These two natural forces are inseparable and affect coastal areas in various ways. To better understand their effects, let’s look at the differences between these two processes.

What do beach drift and longshore current do? The two processes are related. Beaches with breaking waves have longshore currents. The ocean waves carry sediments along the coastline in a zigzag pattern. The majority of this movement occurs in the surf zone, so it is called beach drift. The blue arrow shows the angle at which the waves hit the shoreline. This angle creates the longshore current.

A beach’s longshore current is a continuous process of transporting sediment. The waves repeatedly strike the shoreline, pushing sediment onto the shore. As the water retreats, it re-displaces these grains. Because the waves expend energy on the shoreline, sediment is constantly in motion. As the waves travel up and down the shoreline, they also lift and deposit grains. During this process, the grains are deposited in the swash zone.

Longshore currents cause a lot of rescues along the coast. They sweep swimmers into dangerous situations and disrupt the beaches. They also create barrier islands and barrier beaches. When they’re strong enough, they build walls and fences to slow down the longshore drift. And if you don’t know what they do, you might as well learn about them. If you’re not sure what they do, here’s a simple explanation.

A beach drift is a longshore current that travels along the shoreline. It moves sediment and grains onto the beach at the same angle. The waves also carry sand grains to the sea. As they retreat, they move them further out of the way, causing beach drift. A sand bar protects the shoreline from erosion. These processes can have devastating effects on coastlines, so understanding them is very important.

The longshore current and beach drift are active processes that affect the coastal environment. The waves push sand grains onto the shore. As the water retreats, they move back to the ocean. As the waves go back, they push sand grains even further onto the beach. This is how the tide works. The sand moves down the shore. The longshore current and beach drift affect the shore.

The longshore current carries sediment in two different ways. When waves hit the shoreline, they hit it at an angle and cause a longshore current. This zigzags from one side of the shore to the other, transporting sand from the ocean to the shore. The longer the waves are, the more sediment they lift and deposit. A beach drift, however, is more a passive process that is influenced by the ocean.

The longshore current is another form of tide. This is the current that moves parallel to the shore. It creates a sand barrier. Its effect on the coast is enormous. A groin slows the water down the beach, but increases the erosion. If the water retreats too far, the waves will cause the grains to be deposited farther away from the shore.

Longshore currents transport sediment. The water moves onto a beach at a high speed, and then retreats back. As it goes back, it also carries sediment. The sand grains and waves are transported to the beach as a result. But the longshore current is a constant motion, which helps transport the grains from the ocean to the shore. The two are linked to the same mechanism.

Longshore currents are oceanic waves that move parallel to the shore. They’re caused by incoming swells, which squeeze the water along the shore. This causes the sand to be carried by the water. A beach with a longshore current can have a different shape than the next one, but it does not move more than 2 km/h. It can be a few feet away from the shore.