Sediment transport and deposition

Question 1

What is longshore drift?

Answer 1

Longshore drift is the net transport of sediment along the beach as a result of sediment transport in the swash and the backwash

Question 2

What is traction?

Answer 2

Sediment rolls along, pushed by waves and currents

Question 3

What sediment is transported by traction?

Answer 3

Pebbles, cobbles, boulders

Question 4

What is saltation?

Answer 4

Sediment bounces along, either because of the force of water or of wind.

Question 5

What sediment is transported by saltation?

Answer 5

Sand-sized particles

Question 6

What is suspension?

Answer 6

Sediment is carried in the water column

Question 7

What sediment is transported by suspension?

Answer 7

Silt and clay particles

Question 8

What is solution?

Answer 8

Dissolved material is carried in the water as a solution.

Question 9

What sediment is transported by solution?

Answer 9

Chemical compounds in solution.

Question 10

How does longshore drift work?

Answer 10

When wave crests approach a coast at an angle (rather than at 90 degrees to the coast) the swash from the breaking waves, and the subsequent backwash, follow, different angles up and down the beach in a zig-zag pattern.
On most coastlines there is a dominant prevailing wind so over there is dominant differentiation of longshore drift.