Geomorphology, in simple words, is the study of landforms or the description and classification of the Earth’s topographic features. The studies incorporate the in-depth understanding of various processes occurring on earth’s surface in form of soil, water and air as the medium which directly or indirectly affects the landscapes. Present day landforms are a result of millions of years of geomorphological processes that continue to occur at their own pace now and in future. Few examples of natural geomorphological processes are soil erosion or deposition, melting of glaciers, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, sea floods, landslides, and avalanche. Coastal geomorphology focuses on history of formation of coasts, the features of coastal areas across the globe, eroding shorelines, processes involved in making the coasts as they are today like winds, ocean currents, and influence of human activities. Geomorphology is closely allied with a number of other scientific disciplines that are concerned with natural processes. Fluvial and coastal geomorphology rely heavily on fluid mechanics and sedimentology; studies of mass movement, weathering, wind action, and soils draw on the atmospheric sciences, soil physics, soil chemistry, and soil mechanics; research on certain landform types entails the principles and methods of geophysics and volcanology; and the study of human impact upon landforms relies on the disciplines of geography and human ecology.
A major proportion of world’s population resides by the coasts and coasts and thus they are affected greatly by the anthropogenic activities. Shoreline recession has become an issue of concern in recent times which is occurring way faster than expected and almost over 70% of the beaches throughout the world are facing this problem. Chapters that deal with erosion of the coasts, coastal management, bioindicators for coastal pollutants and various techniques like remote sensing and GIS for the analysis of the coastal ecosystems have been included to provide a better understanding of present-day situation. Studies pertaining to preservation of coastal integrity will be focused in this book. Coasts are also an inevitable part of a country’s economy in terms of tourism and water-based trade. The economic and social aspects have also been looked into in the book. The book provides the readers with a thorough understanding of the subject. It is a valuable compilation of topics, ranging from the basic to the most complex theories and principles in the field of geomorphology. Also included in it a detailed explanation of the various concept and applications of this subject. It aims to serve as a resource guide for researchers and facilitate to the study of the discipline.
Octavia Macias pursued her Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from Institute of Science & Technology, Carlow. She is a keen enthusiast of environment protection and management. An alumnus of Indo-German centre for sustainability which is essentially a collaborative interface to gather scientists in the field of environment sciences to come together and work for the common cause which is environment protection. She serves as a Research Associate at Public Research University, Hobart. Her primary areas of scholarly and research interests lie in the fields of oceanography and geomorphology.
