There's More to a Beach than What First Meets Your Eye (Unless You Get Sand in Your Eye... then that's another problem!)
This picture:
White Beach, Boracay Island, Aklan Province, Philippines
The most common image of a "beach" is one with palm trees overhanging a white or light-tan stretch of sand bordered by turquoise tropical waves gently lapping the intertidal zone. You see this "visual stereotype" on travel posters for the exotic tropical destinations around the world.
However, if you dig into that sand and take a close look at the "stuff" that makes up a beach, you'll discover that beaches can be wildly different.
Although many beaches consist of unidentifiable "sand", other beaches consist solely of gravel, rocks, broken shells, and even broken glass.
Some beaches consist of fine, almost powder-like sand--other beaches show more the rough and coarse form of the original source of that sand.
Much of whether a beach will be "sandy" or "rough" depends on the waves, tides, and storm action for that part of the world--and what those factors have to work on; namely, the geological structures in the area.
The famous black-sand beaches of Hawaii are composed of volcanic material that came from pulverized rocks that became that way over many years of wave, tide, and storm action.
Some of the beaches I've seen around the Micronesian Island Group of Palau are composed of large shells--many of them the remains of the large Tridacna giant clams--but also the remains of drupes, cowries, turban shells, cone shells, barnacles, scallops, and Trochus top shells.
If you take a handfull of sand from Ipao Beach along Tumon Bay on Guam (or the sand of NCS Beach, Tarague Beach, or those that line Pago Bay), you'll see an almost powdery white "sand". If you look closer (under a magnifying glass or binocular microscope), you'll see the miniscule shells of molluscs and also the skeletal shells of an organism called the foraminifera or "foram". Other components of a tropical beach such as those in Hawaii, Palau, or Guam would include the pulverized pieces of coral--coral either broken by wave and storm action or by various kinds of fish (such as parrot fish or trigger fish) that munch on the coral to eat the organisms that live in the coral structure.
The sand at this stage is further processed by passing through the innards of sea cucumbers and other bottom dwellers that harvest any remaining digestible organic material that might be there.
Contents at a Glance
- Beach at Ngermeaus Island, Republic of Palau, Micronesia
- Titles to Read When You're On the Beach! (Or, Maybe After a Day at the Beach!)
- Camping on the Unconsolidated Coral Rubble Islet in Tumon Bay, Guam
Beach at Ngermeaus Island, Republic of Palau, Micronesia
Titles to Read When You're On the Beach! (Or, Maybe After a Day at the Beach!)
Beach Wisdom: Life Lessons From The Ocean by Airplane Books, Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin, Keith Bennett, Terry Allen, Airplane Books
The beach has the power to restore us to ourselves more...0 points
Beach Day by Karen Roosa
In this charming picture book, a cheerful family t more...0 points
At the Beach (Kingfisher Board Books) by Mandy Stanley
From crabs and starfish to shovels and pails, At t more...0 points
A Day at the Beach: A Seaside Counting Book from One to Ten by Sandy Seeley Walling
A Day at the Beach. A seaside counting book from o more...0 points
A Week at the Beach: 100 Life-Changing Things You Can Do by the Seashore by Jim Hubal, Joanne Hubal
A Week at the Beach is a unique and beautifully pa more...0 points
Good Night Beach (Good Night Our World series) by Adam Gamble
The beach, an iconic fixture of many children's su more...0 points
Complete Sand & Water Beach Play Set: Includes Toys, Watering Can, Bucket, Shovel and more!
Complete Sand & Water Beach Play Set: Includes more...0 points
Ocean Tropical Sunset Palm Tree Beach Art Poster Print - 16" X 20"
We bring you the best selection of Movie Posters, more...0 points
The Best Caribbean Beaches / WAVES: Virtual Vacations
Get the BEST SELLING - AWARD WINNING - Relaxation more...0 points
Saving America's Beaches: The Causes of and Solutions to Beach Erosion (Advanced Series on Ocean Engineering) by Scott L. Douglass
A three-part prescription for healthy beaches is p more...0 points
Beach Nourishment: Theory and Practice (Advanced Series on Ocean Engineering) by Robert G. Dean
This book is written for engineers, students of co more...0 points
Introduction To Nearshore Hydrodynamics (Advanced Series on Ocean Engineering (Paperback)) (Advanced Series on Ocean Engineering) by Ib A. Svendsen
This book is intended as an introductory textbook more...0 points
How to Read a North Carolina Beach: Bubble Holes, Barking Sands, and Rippled Runnels by Orrin H. Pilkey, Tracy Monegan Rice, William J. Neal
Take a walk on the beach with three coastal expert more...0 points
Ribbon of Sand: The Amazing Convergence of the Ocean and the Outer Banks (Chapel Hill Book) by John Alexander, James Lazell
Ribbon of Sand is a rich and beautifully written e more...0 points
A Celebration of the World's Barrier Islands by Orrin H. Pilkey, Mary Edna Fraser
From the Carolina Outer Banks to New York's Fire I more...0 points
Camping on the Unconsolidated Coral Rubble Islet in Tumon Bay, Guam
Sometimes Islands Form on Raised Coral Reefs--Just By Becoming a Beach, First!
On Guam (and on many other tropical areas with raised barrier and fringing reefs), storms and wave action will deposit sand and loose rocks, stones, coral heads, shells, and so on (called "rubble") in piles on the reef flat. Over time, birds will nest there and bring materials from other island areas to build their nests. Some of this materials may have seeds in it, and sometimes, those seeds germinate and take root.
If the pile of "reef rubble" grows large enough, during rains it may hold a small "lens" of freshwater that floats on top of the denser saltware base that's intermingled among the lower part of the reef rubble. If this "lens" of fresh water "leaks" toward the sandy edges of this pile of rocks, it allows certain green algae such as Enteromorpha--a stringy, slimey green mat--to grow in that "brackish" water. This algae mat helps to keep the sand from leaving during smaller storms and during harder wave action and subsequently helps to build up the newly forming "islet".
Floating seeds such as those from coconuts and other larger trees may float to the island during storms. If these "seeds" germinate and can take advantage of the fresh-water "lens" on the islet, they can also help to stabilize the loose "rubble" and help the islet keep its form.
For almost a decade on Guam, a small islet of "unconsolidated reef rubble" was forming on the outer edge of the Tumon Bay reef flat. This small islet was large enough that it had its own fresh-water lens and had trees taller than 15 feet on it. At high tide, this islet was almost 7 to 10 feet above sea level. Some of the trees and plants growing on this islet included Hibiscus tileacius (Wild Hibiscus Tree), Messerschmidia trifolia ("Fish-Kill Tree"), Ipomea pes-caprae (Beach Morning Glory), Lepturus repens (Salt Grass), and of course, the green algae at the shoreline, Enteromorpha. The island was high enough, wide enough, and long enough for adventurous folks to wade-swim about a half-mile through the 2-5 foot deep reef flat with camping gear for overnight campouts.
However, in the same way that the waves, tides, and storms can produce a beach and even an islet or island, those same factors can be fickle.
On Guam, a Supertyphoon passed over the island and wiped the Tumon Bay islet off the reef flat. After the storm, there was no evidence that the small islet that I had visited frequently for more than 10 years had ever existed. (All I have now are the pictures of the place and the college paper I wrote about the vegetation on the islet for a marine laboratory technical report.) But, since an islet formed there before, there's a good chance that in a few years, a pile of reef rubble will start to form, plants will take hold, and a thriving islet will be back in the scenery!
Beach at Edge of Ridges/Cliffs at Mendocino, California
Beach Wear with Beach Slogans... Ya Can't Beach 'Em!
Hibiscus Surf (Pink/Orange)Sigg Water Bottle 1.0L
Hibiscus Surf (Pink/Orange)Sigg Water Bottle 1.0L by Island Papercraft, Inc.
Winter Beach at Carmel, California
Seasons for Beaches! And a Warning About Beach and Coastline Safety!
Beaches are seasonal things in many parts of the world. Where the tides and weather don't change much over the months, there might not be a noticeable change in the way a beach looks. However, if there are noticeable changes in the weather and the tides, beaches will be significantly different between winter and summer.
A winter beach will be steep and narrow. Waves will be strong and will travel far up toward the inland. Summer beaches are generally more level and are wide. The more gentle summer waves will gently lap at edges of the tidal zone and won't venture far inland.
As with all coastal activities, if you are going to be at a beach, you should be aware of safety considerations. There are things called "rogue waves" that will appear seemingly out of nowhere and wash unsuspecting beachgoers into the water, sometimes to their deaths. So, experienced beachgoers always say to keep an eye on the ocean at all times--NEVER turn your back to the ocean!
Also, if while you are at a beach or shoreline there's an earthquake (or you hear the sirens going off or you hear about an earthquake), head for higher ground immediately. (Higher ground means at least 20 to 40 feet higher--and also means usually about a mile or so --if not more--inland.) Earthquakes can cause Tsunami (the Japanese name for "Harbor Wave" and which is applied to a "seismic sea wave" --it has NOTHING to do with TIDES). Whatever you do, if you see the water receding rapidly out to sea, DO NOT GO TOWARD THE OCEAN! HEAD IMMEDIATELY AWAY TO HIGHER GROUND--YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO WASTE! If you need convincing of the terrible destruction that a seismic sea wave (tsunami) can cause, just Google for 2004 Earthquake Tsunami... you'll find plenty of references documenting that immense natural disaster.
Sea Lion Pups at the Beach, Monterey, California
Beach Stuff by the Bay.... eBay, that is!
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Rocky Volcanic/Coral/Calcareous Algae Beach, Kapa'a, Kauai, Hawaii
Ipao Beach, Tumon Bay, Guam, on a Calm Day
Almost Powder Beach Sand, White Beach, Boracay Island, Philippines
Almost Powder Beach Sand, White Beach, Boracay Island, Philippines
Early Morning Mist at Hermosa Beach Pier, Hermosa Beach, California
The Beach Boys... Kokomo ... with Scenes from the Carribbean!
curated content from YouTube
Links on the Beach?
- Marric Property Consulting -- Richard Screen's Website!
- You wanna get some sand of your own? Your own beach-side estate? Here's a place to check out!
Beach "Rubble Zone", Caticlan Harbor, Aklan Province, Panay Island, Philippines
Beach "Rubble Zone", Near White Beach, Boracay Island, Philippines
Shake the Sand Off and Drop Me a Note! Say "Hi!"....
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Reply
- mrrelic mrrelic May 29, 2009 @ 4:35 am
- Hi thanks for the nice look at the beach, I am a beach fanatic. If you have a favorite North American beach drop by and add it to my new favorite Beach lens. Cheers Dr. Sand
http://www.squidoo.com/beachfront-travel
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Reply
- lindseyfair lindseyfair Dec 29, 2008 @ 3:44 pm
- My head is always down when I'm on the beach as I'm looking for a beach glass. Another great escape on the beach.
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Reply
- naturegirl7 naturegirl7 Dec 7, 2008 @ 6:14 pm
- I'd love to be on a warm beach somewhere right now. Welcome to the Naturally Native Squids group. Don't forget to add your lens link to the appropriate plexo and vote for it.
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Reply
- Mar 19, 2008 @ 12:07 pm
- Lovely Lens makes me want to be there!Thanks for submitting it to my group Travelmania.
by EditorDave
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