Theory 03/Coastal Engineering
Erosion Follows a Transport Gradient
The claim
Shoreline erosion accelerates where the alongshore sediment transport gradient exceeds a threshold, so a uniform coast erodes uniformly while a gradient concentrates loss.
01Mechanism
Shoreline change is the divergence of transport; where convergence is negative, the shoreline retreats faster than the regional average.
02Predictions
- P1Erosion hotspots should track transport gradients.
- P2Uniform transport should produce uniform retreat.
03Refutation
Erosion tracking wave energy would remove the gradient.