The Work of Waves

Objectives
● Outline the work of waves.

● Describe the processes of wave erosion.

● Identify the coastal features formed by wave erosion.

● Describe the processes of wave transportation.

● Explain the process of longshore drift

● Identify the coastal features formed by wave deposition.

 The Work of Waves
Waves contain energy which may:

● Erode material from one part of the coast to

create different landforms;

● Transport it to other places;

● Deposit it to form new landforms.

 Processes of Wave Erosion
● Hydraulic Action: refers to the sheer force of water as it enters the holes
and cracks of rocks along the coast and eventually causing fragments to
break off.(Cavitation – refers to the explosive force of trapped air in cracks)

● Corrasion/abrasion: this process involves rocks being hurled by the sea

at cliffs and rocky platforms. As a result, it smoothen rocky surfaces,
having the effect like sandpaper on wood.

● Attrition: refers to rocks carried by the sea, knocking against each other
or are scraped against one another, becoming rounded and smaller.

● Corrosion/solution: refers to the dissolving of soluble rocks by the slightly

acidic seawater to form strange jagged rocky platforms.

Note: Erosion is affected by rock type.

★ Sedimentary rocks such as sand, volcanic ash and limestone are soft and weaker rocks that are easily eroded.
★ Igneous and metamorphic resist erosion.
Video on Coastal Erosion Processes
Coastal Erosion Landforms

★ Cliff and Wave-cut Platform

★ Headland and Bay

★ Cave, Arch and Stack

 Wave Transportation Processes
● Traction: this process involves heavier particles being slowly
rolled along the sea bed.

● Saltation: refers to the bouncing motion of particles that are light

enough to ‘hop’ along the sea bed, but too heavy to be suspended
in the water.

● Suspension: Lighter particles such as sand are carried in

suspension or float along in the water.

● Solution:The process in which dissolved chemicals such as

calcium carbonate from limestone rocks are carried in solution to
be deposited in a new location.
Longshore Drift: is the process in which material is moved along the coast in
a zig-zag fashion. It results in a pile-up of sediment at one end of the bay.

● The movement of sediment and its deposition along the coast is determined by the angle at which
the waves approach the shore.

● If the waves approach the shore parallel to the coast, sediment will simply move up and down the
coast. There will be very little sediment movement along the coast.
● However, if the waves approach the coast at an angle, sediment is transported along the coast by
the process of longshore drift. Swash at 45° and backwash at 90° create a zig-zag effect moving
material along the coast.
Diagram showing the Process of Longshore Drift
Groynes: are structures built along the coast to reduce the movement of
material along the coast and to widen the beach.

Picture of a Wooden Groyne

 Wave Deposition

Material eroded from one part of the coast is often transported and deposited in
another place to build up new landforms. The eroded area is altered to create other
landforms also, resulting in a constantly changing coastal environment.

Coastal Deposition features include:

★ Beach

★ Spit

★ Tombolo

★ Bar