What is coastal transportation?

Coastal transportation is the movement of material in the sea and along the coast by waves. The movement of material along the coast is called longshore drift.

Although longshore drift is the main process of transportation the material moves in four different ways. These are:

• traction
• saltation
• suspension
• solution

The four main processes of coastal transportation

Traction involves large pebbles and boulders being rolled along the sea bed. High energy destructive waves are most likely to transport material by traction.

Saltation involves small stones, pebbles and silt being bounced along the sea bed. Both destructive and constructive waves can move this smaller material by saltation.

Transportation by suspension is when fine particles of clay and sediment are suspended in the sea and transported by both destructive and constructive waves.

When material is dissolved and carried by the sea it is transported in solution.

The video below shows transportation in action on a beach at Flamborough. Can you identify the processes of transportation?