Longshore drift

Okay, kiddo, you know how when you play in the sandbox and move the sand around with your hands or toys, it starts to pile up in certain places? That's kind of like what happens at the beach - but on a much bigger scale!

The sea is constantly moving water and waves along the shore. But did you know that it's also moving sand and other pieces of sediment too? This is what we call longshore drift - the process by which sediment is moved along the coast by the waves.

The way longshore drift works is like this: waves come in towards the shore with a particular direction, and as they break, they create a current that travels along the beach at an angle. As this current moves along the shore, it picks up sediment like sand or pebbles and carries them with it.

Over time, this movement of sediment along the coast causes the beach to change shape. Sometimes, the movement of sediment can cause a beach to grow wider, while other times it can erode the shoreline and cause it to become narrower.

So, next time you go to the beach, pay attention to the way the waves move and how they affect the sand. You might even notice the effects of longshore drift happening right in front of you!