Coastal processes explain how waves, currents, and sediment movement continuously reshape shorelines through erosion, transportation, and deposition. The key insight is that wave energy, sediment supply, and rock resistance interact as one system, so coasts change when any one factor shifts. Understanding process links such as swash-backwash balance, longshore drift direction, and wave refraction helps predict where coastlines retreat, where beaches grow, and why management decisions in one location affect places further alongshore.
