The Coast Of Australia

Description

Australia 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.

Reviews

'... what makes this book so special is that, in addition to the 'wow-factor' arising from the over 200 colour photographs, it also offers an excellent synthesis of how the Australian coast has evolved. ... The book is extremely well-written and attractively type-set, and colour photographs and diagrams are used throughout. ... The book is excellent and certainly does credit to the magnificent Australian coast by giving an in-depth and comprehensive insight into its variability and evolution.' The Geographical Journal

Author description

Andrew Short is a coastal geomorphologist with degrees from the University of Sydney, University of Hawaii and Louisiana State University. He has studied the coasts of North and South America, the Alaskan Arctic, Hawaii, New Zealand, Europe, the British Isles and the entire Australian coast. His main interests are beach and dune morphodynamics, coastal evolution and management. He has written more than 150 scientific articles and 12 books. Colin Woodroffe is Professor in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Wollongong.

Table of contents

Prologue; 1. Evolution of the Australian coast; 2. Coastal processes; 3. Coastal ecosystems; 4. Estuaries and deltas; 5. Beaches; 6. Coastal dunes and barriers; 7. Rocky coasts; 8. Reef coasts; 9. Human interaction with the coast; Further reading; Index.