Beach-Inlet Interaction and Sediment Management

Beaches, barrier islands and tidal inlets are valuable coastal resources and provide desirable environments that are often densely populated. They are dynamic landforms that change constantly, driven by both normal processes and energetic storms. They behave as one interconnected system and must be understood and managed as such. This book discusses their various morphologic features, as well as the processes that shape them and future challenges due to environmental change. A major focus is placed on the interaction between sandy beaches and tidal inlets, and the sediment exchange among various morphologic features. Balancing these valuable sediment resources while maintaining the natural sediment exchange constitutes a major goal of modern shore protection and coastal management. Illustrated with numerous aerial photographs to demonstrate how beaches and tidal inlets interact, this book provides a valuable reference for graduate students, researchers and professionals working in coastal management and geomorphology.

• Presents an in-depth overview of beaches, barrier islands and tidal inlets, which is essential to shore protection and coastal management
• Includes a discussion of multiple-scale beach and inlet processes and their interactions, making it a complete go-to reference on beach-inlet interaction and sediment management
• Explains how beaches, barrier islands and tidal inlets are an interconnected system and how by treating them as such, management strategies can address both the protection of sandy beaches and inlet navigation safety
• Discusses coastal sediment management which represents a major future direction in shore protection