COASTAL

PROCESSES AND
HAZARDS
 THE ISLANDS OF THE PHILIPPINES,
ALSO KNOWN AS THE PHILIPPINE
ARCHIPELAGO, COMPRISES ABOUT 7,641
ISLANDS, OF WHICH ONLY ABOUT
2,000 ARE INHABITED. MORE THAN
5,000 ISLANDS OF THE ARCHIPELAGO
ARE YET TO BE GIVEN OFFICIAL NAMES.
COASTAL PROCESSES
Coastal Processes
1. WAVES-are caused
by wind

▪  Ocean waves are generated

by wind blowing over the
ocean surface. The stronger
the wind, the longer it blows
and the longer the fetch, or
stretch of ocean over which
it blows, the larger the
waves.
▪ The world's greatest wave
factories are in the zone of
sub-polar lows centered on
40–60° N and S latitudes, the
so-called roaring 40's and
screaming 60's.
 During calm summer weather with waves gently lapping
the shore the beach grows in size. Waves surge up the
BEACH PROFILE shoreface. The swash carries sediment. The swash
slows, runs out of momentum, then slides back down
toward the water. Some of the backwash sinks into the
sand. The backwash has a little less energy to carry
sediment down the beach so the beach gradually grows
in size with the development of a summer berm. The
summer beach profile is broader and with a more gentle
slope.

During the stormy winter months, storm waves carry

much energy to the beach with extra energy to suspend
sediments and redistribute them in the nearshore
environment. Steady strong winds from a storm can push
water up on the leeward shore raising water levels.
Return flow from this wind setup helps to carry
sediment away from the shore. The summer berm is
eroded away and the sands deposited offshore. The
winter beach profile is steeper and narrower.
 Coastal Processes
2. TIDES
▪ Tides result from the
gravitational attraction of
the sun and the Moon on
the oceans. Tidal force is
proportional to the mass
of the attracting body and
inversely proportional to
the cube of the distance
(tidal force µ mass /
distance3).
Equilibrium Theory of Tides
▪The Earth and Moon
revolve around the
center of mass of the
Earth-Moon system
which is called
the barycenter. 
At the full moon and new moon the
Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned. At
these times the gravitational and
centrifugal force of the Moon and Sun
combine together.

The resulting SPRING TIDES are the

highest high tides and lowest low tides or
the greatest tidal range during the course
of the lunar month.

At the first quarter and last
quarter, the Sun, Earth, and Moon
form a right angle. At these times the
gravitational and centrifugal forces of
the Sun and Moon act at right angles to
one another.
The resulting NEAP TIDES are the
lowest high tides and highest low tides or
the smallest tidal range.
Dynamical Theory of Tides:
▪ In reality the global tides are
organized into a number of tidal
cells. Tidal crests rotate once
every 12 hours around
amphidromic points,
counterclockwise in the northern
hemisphere, clockwise in the
southern hemisphere.
Distance to Moon and Sun
▪ The Moon's tidal attraction is
strongest at perigee (when the Moon
is closest) and weakest
at apogee (when the Moon is
farthest).

▪ The Sun's tidal attraction is strongest

at perihelion (when the Earth is
closest to the Sun) and weakest
at aphelion (when the Earth is
farthest from the Sun).
3 .
4. Sea Level Rise
Sea level has risen by about 120 m (400 ft) since the peak of the last
ice age about 19,000 years ago. The coast was about 100 km (60 mi)
farther offshore from Long Island at that time. Since then ice caps have
shrunk, returning water to the sea and the seas have warmed and
expanded.
Global average sea level is currently rising at the rate of about 2 mm
per year. This slow sea level rise helps to increase the rate of coastal
erosion. For example, along Long Island's south shore on Fire Island
the shoreline is receding between 0.7 and 1 meter per year.
5. Coastal flooding
▪ Storms brought by low pressure systems may give rise
to a large storm surge high water resulting from the
combination of wind setup and an inverted barometer
effect (low pressure doesn't weigh down as heavily on
the surface of the ocean). Highest water occurs
through the combination of storm surge at spring tide,
especially at or near perihelion and perigee.
6. CRUSTAL MOVEMENT
COASTAL EROSION -
Coastal erosion is the
process by which local sea
level rise, strong wave
action, and coastal
flooding wear down or
carry away rocks, soils,
and/or sands along the
coast. 
 HAZARDS CAUSE
BY COASTAL
PROCESSES
Erosion, Submersion & Saltwater
Intrusion
COASTAL EROSION CONTROL
▪Groins/Groynes
▪Seawalls
▪Beach Nourishment
▪Dune Stabilization
Groins are structures built out from the shore at a right angle
to the beach in an attempt to stop longshore sand transport. 

Jetties are groins built at an inlet to halt the

migration of sand across the mouth of the inlet.
Seawalls are structures built parallel
to the beach to protect buildings. When
storm waves strike a seawall, the
unspent wave energy is reflected back
offshore. 
Beach Nourishment
▪Sand is pumped onto the beach from
offshore, thereby rejuvenating the shore.
The process of moving huge quantities of
sand is quite expensive, costing millions of
dollars for a modest project.
Dune Stabilization
▪Coastal dunes form an important
barrier to strong storm waves. In
the past they were leveled and
built upon. Elsewhere, they were
trampled by beach goers, killing
the dune grasses that kept the sand
from blowing away. 
Reference: Tantan HD
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