SAND TRANSPORT AND COASTAL STABILITY, LANCASHIRE, U.K.

Abstract

The stability of an alluvial coast depends upon the local sediment budget. Along the shore, changes from erosion to accretion may reflect changing sediment fluxes, sediment residence times and patterns of sediment movement. Processes influencing these parameters, such as mud sedimentation or migration of intertidal channels will, through their influence on beach gradients and sediment transport patterns, affect the processes and rates of coastal dune erosion and the safety of the dune protected hinterland. A qualitative description of some of the various processes and phenomena linking foreshore and dune stability with sediment circulation and coastal evolution is presented.