-V 



Offshore 



Coastal area 



Nearshore zone 



(defines area of nearshore currents) 

 Inshore zone 



(extends through breaker zone) 



- Breakers 



Beach or shore 



Backshore 



t 



Berms 



2^ 



/I 



-Bluff 

 ^ or 



escarpment 



Beach Scarp 



Crest of berm 

 Ordinary low water level 



Beach profile 



Plunge point 



Bottom 



Figure 5. Nomenclature of the surf zone. 



effective and economical engineering works to 

 restore, stabilize, and protect our shores and 

 beaches requires a quantitative understanding of 

 shore processes. Research needed to establish this 

 better quantitative understanding of physical proc- 

 esses in the shore zone can be classified into the 

 following main categories: 



—Wave action in the coastal zone. This concerns 

 the generation of waves in coastal waters; transfor- 

 mation of waves onshore by bottom effects and 

 coastal currents; development, installation, and 

 operation of improved ocean wave recording 

 equipment for statistical purposes; compilation 

 and statistical analysis of ocean wave records; and 

 the determination of design waves and their 

 frequency of occurrence. 



-Sand movement in the inshore area This involves 

 the quantitative relationships of wave character- 

 istics and alongshore and onshore-offshore sand 

 transport, effects of storm-wave action on inshore 

 hydrography, interrelation of factors shaping a 

 natural beach, sand transport and dune formation 

 by wind action, and methods of stabilizing sand 

 dunes. 



-Tides and surges. This includes hurricane and 

 tsunami surge generation, travel, and dissipation; 

 effects of shore configuration on tide and surge 

 ranges; and the mechanics of tidal flow in inlets 

 and estuaries. 



-Coastal inlet studies. This deals with the effects 

 of wave action, tidal flow, freshwater flow, and 

 Uttoral drift on inlet hydrography; migration of 



Figure 6. Shore processes being studied at the 

 test basin of the Corps of Engineers Coastal 

 Engineering Research Center, Washington, D.C. 

 (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo) 



III-79 



