An A-Z of Coasts

A is for Abrasion It wears and scours away.B could be for Beach or Bar (But I think I'll stick with Bay)

C is for Constructive wave Which slowly builds a beachD is for DestructiveLet's pray those waves don't reach...

E is for ErosionF could be for FetchG for Groyne, wooden fences Picked out on your coastal sketch

H – Hydraulic Pressure Getting into cracksCutting out an Inlet There's really no way back

J is for the Joint and weaknessExploited by the wavesKinetic, moving energy Opens out a cave

L is Longshore Drift As sediment is shifted What has happened?Where's it gone?Has it been longshore drifted?

M could be for MappletonUpon the Holderness coastAnd if we're talking cliff erosionM could stand for Most

N is for the Notch that's formedRight at the headland's base O is for the Overhang (The jutting out cliff face)

P might stand for Pebbles Washed upon the shoreQ for Quick – the speed of wavesUnless slowed by the Ocean floor

R might stand for Rip Rap S for Coastal Spit T for Traction, boulders rolledshifted bit by bit

U could be Unstable V for Vertical face Put the two together And the rocks fall to the base

W is Wave Cut platform A reminder of what was there.Once a cliff, standing proudNow scantily clad and bare.

X is XerophyticLike the Marram Grass on a Spit It can cope with dry conditions And it simply will not quit.

Y could stand for Yellow On the beach – the golden sand It's there one minute, gone the nextZig-zagged from the land.

An A to Z of coastal terms;There's lots there that we've learned

And much like the sea as it meets the coastWe've left no stone unturned

MF Cowan 2008

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