The Coast of AustraliaAustralia has one of the longest, most diverse and pristine coastlines in the world. From the oldest rocks on the planet to those that are still evolving, the Australian coast is a dynamic, ever-changing suite of dramatic landforms and productive ecosystems. From iconic beaches such as Bondi and long unbroken sands of the Coorong to the endless curtain of the Nullarbor cliffs along the Great Australian Bight, this illuminating book explores these magnificent landforms, revealing how they formed and continue to change. It details the various coastal systems that operate, including beaches, dunes, estuaries, deltas, rocky coast and coral reefs. Written by two of Australia's leading coastal experts, Andrew Short and Colin Woodroffe, The Coast of Australia provides the first comprehensive account of the Australian coast. Covering 36,000 km of shoreline, The Coast of Australia is an engaging exploration of this massive, largely undeveloped and highly variable coastline. |
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A.D. Short Figure areas Australian coast average barrier estuaries Barrier Reef Basin beach type beachface calcarenite Cape York Peninsula carbonate cent cliffs climate coastal dunes continent coral reefs creeks currents degrees South delta deposited dominated dune systems dunes eastern ecosystems embayment eroded erosion estuaries exposed extensive flow foredune ridges fringing reef Gulf of Carpentaria headlands highstands impact infill intertidal islands kilometres per hour Kimberley lagoon located low tide mangroves marine metres Mile Beach millimetres mouth northern Australia Northern Territory occur particularly Photo platform Pleistocene Queensland reef flats result rock rocky coast sandstone sea level sea-level rise seagrass seaward sediment sedimentary shallow sheltered shore shoreline South Australia South Wales southeast species square kilometres surf zone surface swash Sydney Tasman Tasmania temperature tidal range tide-dominated tide-modified Torres Strait transgressive dune tropical cyclones usually vegetation wave energy wave height wave-dominated Western Australia winds