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| Ocean meets land in a turbulent zone of energetic
activity. While sediment is flushed and deposited into the sea
by in-flowing rivers, waves that have travelled hundreds, or
even thousands, of kilometres across the open ocean erode and
re-work the shoreline. Over time, the net effect is substantial:
the shape of a coast changes, often slowly, but at times rapidly.
During storms, for example, powerful surf will swiftly erode
deposited sediment from the shore. In calm weather, sediment
will deposit faster than it erodes and in turn will widen the
existing shoreline. Thus, at any given moment, the shape of the
shoreline represents a mixture of constructive and destructive
forces. |
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What's a spit? Aside from the sticky, wet kind, a spit is
a land feature moulded by the ocean. Click
here for information on spits. Also, find out more on sea cliffs.
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