Introduction to Coastal Processes and Geomorphology

Robin Davidson-Arnott has been a Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Guelph, Ontario since 1976. He was a member of the Task Force of the International Joint Commission (Canada/USA) Great Lakes Water Levels Reference Study Phase 1 (1987–9), and was seconded as a Scientist to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Development of Ontario Shoreline Management Policy and Technical Guideline (1992–5), and to the International Joint Commission (Canada/USA) Upper Great Lakes Water Level Regulation Study (2007–11). He has worked as a consultant for a number of studies for Ontario Conservation Authorities and Parks, Canada, and was awarded the R. J. Russell Award from the Coastal and Marine Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers in 2000. He has received continuous support in his research from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for over thirty years. He has authored and co-authored many books and journal articles on the subject, including a contribution to Geomorphology and Global Environmental Change (Cambridge, 2009). Bernard Bauer is a process geomorphologist with research and teaching experience in coastal, aeolian, and fluvial environments. He is the recipient of the HydroLab Award from the International Association for Great Lakes Research, the R. J. Russell Award from the Association of American Geographers, and a Presidential Young Investigator Award from the US National Science Foundation (NSF). His research has been conducted in Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, leading to peer-reviewed publications in major international journals. He has held administrative positions as Department Chair at the University of Southern California, Faculty Dean, and Associate Provost at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan, and he also served as a Program Director at the US National Science Foundation. He now devotes considerable time as a volunteer member of committees dealing with water sustainability issues in the Okanagan, British Columbia. Chris Houser is a coastal geomorphologist with a focus on barrier island response and recovery to storms and sea level rise, physical and social dimensions of the rip current hazard, and scale interaction in coastal systems. His research has been conducted in Canada, the United States, Australia, Denmark, and Costa Rica, leading to peer-reviewed publications on coastal geomorphology, geology, coastal management, and beach safety. He has held academic and administrative positions at the University of West Florida, Texas A & M University, and the University of Windsor, and is currently the Dean of Science at Windsor.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Introduction; 2. Coastal geomorphology; Part II. Coastal Processes: 3. Sea level; 4. Wind-generated waves; 5. Wave dynamics; 6. Surf zone circulation; 7. Coastal sediment transport; Part III. Coastal Systems: 8. Beach and nearshore systems; 9. Coastal sand dunes and Aeolian processes; 10. Barrier systems; 11. Saltmarshes and mangroves; 12. Coral reefs and atolls; 13. Cliffed and rocky coasts.