Waves
The energy in waves comes from wind that blows across the water's surface. Waves are the major force of erosion along coasts. Waves shape the coasts through erosion by breaking down rock and transporting sand and other sediment. Large waves can hit rocks along the shore with great force. When a wave approaches shallow water , it picks up sediment, including sand and gravel. The energy of these waves is concentrated on headlands. A headland is a part of the shore that sticks out in the ocean. Waves shape a coast when they deposit sediment, forming coastal features such as beaches, spits, and barrier beaches. A beach is an area of wave-washed sediment along a coast.When a wave repeatedly hit the beach, some of the beaches sediment moves down the beach with the current, in a process called longshore drift. A spit is a beach that projects like a finger out into the water. A barrier is similar to a sandbar.