1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910781493003321

Autore

Pilkey Orrin H. <1934->

Titolo

The world's beaches [[electronic resource] /] / Orrin H. Pilkey ... [et al.]

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Berkeley, : University of California Press, c2010

ISBN

1-283-27801-4

9786613278012

0-520-94894-7

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (301 p.)

Disciplina

551.45/7

Soggetti

Beaches

Seashore

Coasts

Coast changes

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

"A global guide to the science of the shoreline."--subtitle from cover.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

pt. 1. The global character of beaches -- pt. 2. How to read a beach -- pt. 3. The global threat to beaches.

Sommario/riassunto

Take this book to the beach; it will open up a whole new world. Illustrated throughout with color photographs, maps, and graphics, it explores one of the planet's most dynamic environments-from tourist beaches to Arctic beaches strewn with ice chunks to steaming hot tropical shores. The World's Beaches tells how beaches work, explains why they vary so much, and shows how dramatic changes can occur on them in a matter of hours. It discusses tides, waves, and wind; the patterns of dunes, washover fans, and wrack lines; and the shape of berms, bars, shell lags, cusps, ripples, and blisters. What is the world's longest beach? Why do some beaches sing when you walk on them? Why do some have dark rings on their surface and tiny holes scattered far and wide? This fascinating, comprehensive guide also considers the future of beaches, and explains how extensively people have affected them-from coastal engineering to pollution, oil spills, and rising sea levels.