The Beach Book: Science of the Shore

by Carl Hobbs

Overview

Waves and tides, wind and storms, sea-level rise and shore erosion: these are the forces that shape our beaches, and beach lovers of all stripes can benefit from learning more about how these coastal processes work. With animation and clarity, The Beach Book tells sunbathers why beaches widen and narrow, and helps boaters and anglers understand why tidal inlets migrate. It gives home buyers insight into erosion rates and provides natural-resource managers and interested citizens with rich information on beach nourishment and coastal-zone development. And for all of us concerned about the long-term health of our beaches, it outlines the latest scientific information on sea-level rise and introduces ways to combat not only the erosion of beaches but also the decline of other coastal habitats.

The more we learn about coastline formation and maintenance, Carl Hobbs argues, the better we can appreciate and cultivate our shores. Informed by the latest research and infused with a passion for its subject, The Beach Book provides a wide-ranging introduction to the shore, and all of us who love the beach and its associated environments will find it timely and useful.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231160551
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	06/12/2012
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.16(w) x 8.74(h) x 0.55(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Carl H. Hobbs is a professor of marine science at Virginia Institute of Marine Science at the College of William & Mary. His research interests include coastal geology and processes, the geologic history of the Chesapeake Bay and the surrounding region, marine archaeology, and the environmental consequences of marine sand mining and beach nourishment. Additionally, with colleagues from the Center for Archaeological Research and the Department of Geology at William & Mary, he has investigated physical changes to Jamestown Island that have occurred since the beginning of the Holocene, when humans first inhabited the region.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Beaches
2. Wind
3. Waves
4. Tides
5. Sediments
6. Barrier Islands and Tidal Inlets
7. Sand Dunes and Salt Marshes
8. Sea Level and Sea-Level Rise
9. Storms and Storm Surges
10. Erosion and Shore Protection
Appendix 1. Units of Speed: Approximate Conversion Factors
Appendix 2. Beaufort Scale
Appendix 3. Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

Tom Cronin

The Beach Book contains lots of practical information, presented in a direct, simple, and refreshing style. A very handy guide to processes affecting beaches.

Tom Cronin

The book contains lots of practical information, presented in a direct, simple, and refreshing style. A very handy guide to processes affecting beaches

— Tom Cronin, USGS, Georgetown University

Editorial Reviews

Fascinating phenomena — from surf beat, edge waves and beach cusps to the dunes known as barchans — bob through this crisply written guide to ecology and geology at the edge.

Nature

Engaging and easy to read.... This book helps readers understand the physical processes that form that shore... Highly recommended.

Choice

...offers material not only for science junkies but for anyone who loves the beach experience.

Richmond Times-Dispatch

It is an easy read for those who live by the shore and want a good, simple understanding of why it's there, what is going on now, and what might happen in the future...

Oceanography - Andrew D. Short

Fascinating phenomena — from surf beat, edge waves and beach cusps to the dunes known as barchans — bob through this crisply written guide to ecology and geology at the edge.

Nature Lib

...for the serious minded beachgoer...

Los Angeles Times

Hobbs (marine science, Virginia Inst. of Marine Science, Coll. of William & Mary) here describes the fundamental geologic and oceanographic processes that take place at the beach and that are responsible for creating, maintaining, and eroding shores. He has focused his research efforts primarily along the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico of North America, but he contends that what he outlines holds true at any beach. Early chapters focus on specific beach processes (e.g., tides) and elements (e.g., sediments). Later chapters discuss phenomena that can influence these processes or elements (e.g., erosion, sea-level rise, and storms). Images, tables, and figures enhance the text. A glossary and bibliography are also included. VERDICT The scientific information Hobbs provides in the form of equations and in-depth explanations makes this book better suited to academic readers, although the general essence of the text will prove interesting to anyone curious about the science of the shore.—Diana Hartle, Univ. of Georgia Science Lib., Athens

Library Journal

...for the serious minded beachgoer...

|Los Angeles Times

a good comprehensive introduction to the shore...

Quarterly Review of Biology - Judith S. Weis