Beaches and Coasts / Edition 1

by Richard A. Davis Jr., Duncan M. Fitzgerald

Overview

Coastlines of the world are as diverse as any geological setting onEarth. Beaches and Coasts is an exciting and unique new textbookthat provides an exhaustive treatment of the world's differentcoasts and details the highly varied processes that have shapedthem.

Having conducted research on coastlines throughout the world,the authors draw on a wealth of experience that broadens thecontent of chapters and provides for numerous and varied examples.The book furnishes a basic understanding of the tectonic framework,hydrographic regime, climatic setting, and geologic materials thatdetermine the morphology of a coast. Individual chapters aredevoted to major coastal environments such as barriers, tidalinlets, marshes, estuaries, lagoons, deltas, glaciated coasts,rocky coasts and many others.

Beaches and Coasts provides the necessary content forteaching a broad coastal geology course. Though designed forintroductory students, its comprehensive treatment of coastaltopics will make it appropriate for many upper level courses.

• 
  
• Exciting and unique textbook that provides an exhaustivetreatment of the world's different coasts and details the highlyvaried processes that have shaped them.
  
• The authors draw on a wealth of experience that broadens thecontent of chapters and provides for numerous and variedexamples.
  
• Provides a basic understanding of the tectonic framework,hydrographic regime, climatic setting, and geologic materials thatdetermine the morphology of a coast.
  
• Individual chapters are devoted to major coastal environmentssuch as barriers, tidal inlets, marshes, estuaries, lagoons,deltas, glaciated coasts, rocky coasts, and many others.
  
• Provides comprehensive content for teaching a broad coastalgeology course for both introductory and upper level courses.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780632043088
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	11/18/2003
Edition description:	Older Edition
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.80(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Richard A. Davis Jr is Distinguished University ProfessorEmeritus at the University of South Florida. He has spent the past40 years studying coasts throughout the world. He specializes inbeach/inlet/barrier island morphodynamics and Holocene history ofcoasts. Dr Davis is the author/editor of twelve previous volumes,most of which are on coastal topics.

Duncan M. FitzGerald is an Associate Professor in theEarth Science Department at Boston University. During the past 25years he has studied the morphodynamics and hydraulics of tidalinlets, the stratigraphy and evolution of barrier systems, andsediment transport in estuaries. This research has taken him tocoasts throughout the world resulting in numerous professionalpublications.

Table of Contents

1. Coastline Variability and Functions in the Global Environment.

2. Earth's Mobile Crust.

3. Sediments and Rocks; Materials of Coastal Environments.

4. Sea Level Change and Coastal Environments.

5. Storms and Climatic Influences on the Coast.

6. Waves and the Coast.

7. Beaches and Nearshore Environments.

8. Sandy Barriers.

9. Coastal Dunes.

10. Coastal Lagoons.

11. Tides.

12. Tidal Inlets.

13. Intertidal Flats.

14. Coastal Wetlands.

15. Estuaries.

16. River Deltas: The Source of Most of our CoastalSediments.

17. Glaciated Coasts.

18. Rocky Coast.

19. Reef Coast.

20. Coastal Erosion.

21. Human Interaction with Coastal Dynamics.

Editorial Reviews

"I congratulate the authors-Richard Davis and Duncan Fitzgerald-on an excellent textbook about coasts for an audience with limited scientific expertise. I would recommend Beaches and Coasts to anyone with an interest in this topic. "(Environmental & Engineering Geoscience, February 2011)

"...one of the most complete, clearly written and up-to-date publications on the topic...Beaches and Coasts is a book that deserves wide readership...Its didactic form and simple (though not superficial) language makes the book excellent for teaching...[it] will become a classical textbook in the subject." (Journal of Sedimentary Research, June 2005)

From the Publisher