Geograph - photograph every grid square

The photo shows that beach sediment in Bay 28 is lower toward the sea and higher further up the beach toward the promenade. The strong swash of constructive waves pushes sediment up the beach, but the weaker backwash is unable to transport all the beach material back down again. As a result of this process, over time, beaches like Number 28 become higher at the back and lower at the front. Since the backwash flows down the beach and loses energy through friction and the depletion of water by percolation, sediment is sorted with coarser sands being deposited in the middle of the beach and fine sand being carried further down the beach toward the sea.

Destructive waves also carry heavier and larger beach material up the beach, and though the backwash is powerful enough to carry some lighter material backwards, the heaviest and largest material is deposited at that higher level as in a storm beach. Destructive waves produce a narrower and steeper beach profile than one built by constructive waves. While the beach morphology of Eastbourne�s bays and beaches broadly adheres to the expected natural distribution of sand and shingle, at times of beach recycling and beach augmentation particularly, human management of the coast is also a salient factor affecting beach morphology and the beach sediment profile. Bay 28 has had a year without human changes being made to the beach profile, but at the time of the photo, Phase 2 of the beach recycling programme is fast approaching, and that may bring changes to the beach morphology.