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Multiple intertidal barred systems (MITB) are complex coastal features observed under specific conditions including low to moderate energy waves and macrotidal forcing. Although primarily tide-dominated, MITBs can undergo significant morphological changes under storms and extreme events. In December 2021, storm Barra crossed the U.K. and was the 2nd most energetic event in the past 25 years, to occur on Northern Ireland’s east coast. At the MITB site in Dundrum Bay, offshore waves reached a maximum significant wave height of 5.5 m on December 7th, 2021 and were associated with a peak period and wave direction of 10s and 179°N-oriented respectively. Pre- and post-Barra intertidal DGPS surveys were conducted at Dundrum Bay on the 6th and 9th of December to identify beach morphological changes on MITBs. Despite direct onshore waves reaching the bay, a strong alongshore variability was recorded in the response to Murlough and Ballykinler beaches to Storm Barra. Indeed, according to preliminary results, the western end of the bay shows an elevation of the beach profile, the central area presents onshore migrations of the bars to no significant changes, while the eastern side of the bay (Ballykinler) displays bar crests flattening and linear post-storm profiles.Although storm Barra was the most energetic event recorded during the winter 2021/2022, smaller storm events had modified the morphology of Murlough and Ballykinler beaches throughout the preceding season, leading to some already low pre-Barra beach profiles. Secondly, at the peak of Barra’s energy, the waves were southeast oriented. But the direction of the waves rapidly shifted from onshore to offshore, possibly modifying the impact of Barra on the system. Finally, the shape of the bay, the location of the different profiles and the complex nearshore bathymetry and local geology must have also played a key role dictating the alongshore pattern shown. Previous studies of Dundrum Bay have shown that physical processes driven by waves/tide and geomorphology interactions can undergo significant local modification, leading to a strong alongshore variability in the profiles’ response to seasonal events. Nearshore SWAN simulations will help highlight the role of nearshore hydrodynamics including wave dissipation and re-orientation, wave-driven sediment transport and the impact of storm surge on MITB during an extreme event.

Shoreline change analysis of the entire coast of Northern Ireland was conducted for the period from 1830 to 2021. Even with its 790Km length (including the main offshore islands) the Northern Ireland coastline is remarkably diverse, comprising several notable coastal typologies (cliffs, rocky coasts, sandy beaches, sand dunes, etc.) as well as a number of commercial and industrial activities. Human pressure co-exists with the natural coast and each impacts the other in many ways.Shorelines were digitised using multiple temporal and spatial datasets (historical maps, aerial photos and orthophotos). The average temporal interval of shorelines ranges from 7.8 to 37 years, depending on location and data availability. The seaward vegetation line was selected as the primary shoreline proxy, whereas cliff edge, rock-water line or anthropogenic structures were chosen subordinately or if deemed more appropriate. Shoreline uncertainty was assessed using various errors inherent from each dataset from which the shoreline was digitised. The ArcMap® tool DSAS 5.0 was used to calculate shoreline rates and distances along 25 m spaced transects covering the entire coastline.Over the last two centuries the maximum retreat value was highlighted in Lough Foyle between the Roe River mouth and Magilligan Point where the shoreline progressively retreated up to -250 m. The largest shoreline advancement (+3.500 m) was recorded in Belfast following its port expansion.Sandy coastlines were shown to have the larger natural changes. Magilligan point, after an advancement phase toward its northern extremity between 1830 and 1919, underwent a constant retreat phase that has now extended to its eastern side up. Benone Beach, Castlerock and Portstewart Strand are the only vegetated coastal dune sites along Northern Ireland’s north coast that are advancing in the last 190 years(190-270m) Significant shoreline retreat was recorded at White Rocks (-85 m), Ballycastle (-65 m), Runkerry (-25 m) and White Park Bay (-65 m). In Dundrum Bay, Co. Down, the largest retreat values (-75 m) occurred at Murlough and maximum advancements greater than 200 m at Ballykinler.The largest shoreline advancements were all attributed to human activities such as land reclamation in the loughs (mainly during the 19th century), seaward expansions of ports (e.g., Belfast, Bangor, Carrickfergus, Portavogie and Warren Point) or construction of power stations and wastewater treatment areas. Shoreline advancements recorded for the salt marshes of Larne and Foyle Loughs and White Water River mouth also followed human interventions. High rocky coasts, apart from limited rockfalls, were less subject to shoreline changes. The work will contribute to better define coastal cells along the Northern Ireland coastline and inform coastal managers for future development plans of the coast.

Geological evidence of past storminess is fundamental for contextualizing long-term climate variability and investigating future climate. Unlike the Atlantic and Pacific basins, robust storminess reconstructions do not exist for most of the Indian Ocean, despite the hazard that tropical cyclones pose to the SE African margin. Here we combine seismic stratigraphy with analysis of marine sediment cores to look for regionally representative storm-related sediment deposits (tempestites) intercalated in shoreface sediments from the SW Indian Ocean off South Africa. Tempestites, represented by hummocky seismic units, whose sediments have clear marine geochemical signatures, are found to have been deposited between 7.0 and 4.8 cal kyr BP, when sea level was between 0 and +3 m above present. Deposition and preservation of the tempestites reflect unprecedented tropical cyclone impacts, associated with periods of strongly positive Indian Ocean Dipole anomalies and linked to warmer sea surface temperatures. Future climate projections suggest stronger positive IOD anomalies and further intensification and poleward migration of tropical cyclones, like their mid-Holocene predecessors. Given the rarity of tropical cyclone landfalls in South Africa, this urges a revaluation of hazards in areas along the SE African coast likely to become more vulnerable to landfalling tropical cyclones in the future.

Topographic steering has been observed around Gran Canaria, a high-profile circular island located in the Canary Island Archipelago, Spain, culminating in a complex lee-side wind regime at the Maspalomas dunefield. Maspalomas has experienced rapid environmental changes since the 1960s, coincident with a boom in the tourism industry in the region and requires further examination on the linkages between meso-scale airflow patterns and aeolian processes modifying the landscape. The aim of this work is to simulate mean and turbulent airflow conditions at Maspalomas due to incremental changes in the regional wind direction and to compare these results to the predicted and observed aeolian dynamics taken from meteorological records, a global wind retro-analysis model, and remote sensing data. A Smagorinsky Large Eddy Simulation (S-LES) model was used to identify meso-scale airflow perturbations and turbulence at different locations around the island. Variability in meteorological data was also identified, with sites recording accelerated or retarded velocities and directional distributions ranging between unimodal to bimodal. Using a global retro-analysis model, relatively consistent up-wind conditions were predicted over a period coinciding with three aerial LiDAR surveys (i.e., 2006, 2008, and 2011) at the Maspalomas dunefield. Despite the consistent predicted airflow conditions, dune migration rates dropped from 7.26 m y−1 to 2.80 m y−1 and 28% of dunes experienced crest reversal towards the east, or opposite of the primary westerly migration direction during the second time period. Our results indicate that meso-scale airflow steering alters local wind conditions that can modify sediment transport gradients at Maspalomas. Given the rapidity of environmental changes and anthropogenic impacts at Maspalomas, these findings improve our understanding on the aeolian dynamics at Maspalomas and can be used to inform future management strategies. Lastly, the approach used in this study could be applied to other high-profile island settings or similarly complex aeolian environments.

Evidence for sea-level change during and around Marine Isotopic Stage 5e (ca. 125 ka) in southern Africa derives from a wide variety of geomorphic and sedimentological sea-level indicators, supported in the past 2 decades by absolute chronological control. In addition to these proxies, data provided by both terrestrial (dune sediments and archaeological remains) and marine (lagoonal and nearshore littoral sediments) limiting points provide broad constraints on sea level. Here, we review publications describing these data points. Using the framework of the World Atlas of Last Interglacial Shorelines, we insert in a standardized database all the elements needed to assess former paleo relative sea level, and the chronological constraints associated with them (including uncertainties). Overall, we reviewed 69 studies, from which we extracted 35 sea-level indicators and 25 limiting points. As far as age attribution is concerned, early dating of molluscs and whole-rock beachrock samples using U-Series allowed ating of several sea-level indicators during the 1980s but the more widespread application of Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating since 2004 has yielded many more (and more accurate) dates from several sites. This has helped resolve the nature and timing of MIS5e shorelines and has the potential to further elucidate the apparent presence of two or more sea-level peaks at several South African sites during this interval. The standardized sea-level database presented in this paper is the first of its kind for this region. Future research should be directed to improve the stratigraphic description of LIG shorelines and to obtain better dating, high-accuracy elevation measurements with better palaeo-RSL interpretation.

Conventional aeolian sand transport models relate mass transport rate to wind speed or shear velocity, usually expressed and empirically tested on a 1-s time scale. Projections of total sand delivery over long time scales based on these models are highly sensitive to any small bias arising from statistical fitting on empirical data. We analysed time series of wind speed and sand transport rate collected at 14 independent measurement stations on a beach during a prior field experiment. The results show that relating total sand drift to cumulative above-threshold wind run yields models which are more statistically robust when fitted on empirical data, generating smaller prediction errors when projected to longer time scales. Testing of different power exponents indicates that a linear relationship between sand drift and above-threshold wind run yields the best results. These findings inspire a speculative novel phenomenological model relating the mass flow of air in the boundary layer to the mass transport of sand over the surface.

In 2015, an active dune field on Mars was visited up close by the Curiosity rover in Gale Crater providing the first high resolution ground images of fine scale windblown features not previously resolved from orbital-based imagery. For the first time, these images allow for direct comparison with terrestrial aeolian dynamics and provide critical ground truth data to bridge the gap between model predictions and satellite observations. The image data from the slipface on the Namib dune within the Bagnold dune field shows grainflow morphologies that are similar to dunes on Earth. Quantitative estimates of flow thickness, based on shadow length are presented for the grainflows on the Namib dune slipface and compared to grainflow characteristics measured by terrestrial laser scans from the Maspalomas dune field located in Gran Canaria, Spain. Using observations from Maspalomas to support interpretations of martian slipface dynamics, we discuss implications for the local wind regime, style of grainflow, seasonal activity, and dune migration. The presence of multiple large-magnitude grainflows on the Namib slipface suggests an active aeolian environment, capable of delivering enough sediment to the slipface to initiate these flows and transport sediment to the bottom of the lee slope. However, the thinness of grainflows on the Namib dune, the formation of smaller grainflows directly below the dune brink and limited grainfall suggest a lower wind energy environment, at least for the most recent slipface activity. Large, actively migrating stoss ripples obliquely oriented to the dune crest regularly deposit sediment on to the upper slipface and may be a mechanism in which larger grainflow occur during seemingly low energy wind events. This mechanism of sediment delivery may also explain the existence of a variety of slipface morphologies, both young and old, which are otherwise quickly erased on Earth due to sediment redistribution and grainfall.

On the SE African shelf, a submerged shoreline at a depth of 60 m is examined and its attributes compared between two shelf sectors with different morphologies, yet similar energy regimes. The aim is to assess the controls of antecedent conditioning on shoreline development and later preservation from transgressive ravinement. Using a combination of multibeam bathymetry and single-channel seismic profiles, the stratigraphy and morphology of the shoreline is investigated. Low-gradient bedrock examples reveal several distinctive seismic facies, including onlapping chaotic reflector packages which are interpreted as calcarenite rubble fields. These palaeo-shorelines possess planform equilibrium morphologies, including parabolic dunes and blowout forms along with relict shore platforms. They are strongly associated with incised valleys of last glacial maximum age which underlie the shoreline locations; these provide wide, back-barrier accommodation space during transgression. In contrast, palaeo-shorelines on the steeper-gradient shelf have a simpler stratigraphic arrangement. They are not as well preserved, are generally covered by thick drapes of sediment, and lack the elaborate planform morphologies of their lower-shelf gradient equivalents. Isolated incised valleys and the steep bedrock gradient limit accommodation space. The comparison indicates that antecedent bedrock slope and available accommodation are amongst the dominant controls on overstepping, and thus potential preservation, of palaeo-shorelines on the shelf. Lower-gradient shelves not only promote rapid shoreline translation but, together with wide, sandy back-barrier accommodation, also foster larger barrier volumes. In suitable climates such as in the Mediterranean and other sub-tropical areas, the ensuing shoreline stability promotes rapid and effective cementation of the barrier. In comparison, steep bedrock profiles with limited back-barrier accommodation have much lower preservation potential. Transgressive ravinement is more focussed on steep slopes, effectively removing more material during the ravinement process. The more dynamic environment may also reduce the effectiveness of diagenesis. The potential of beachrock and aeolianite palaeo-shorelines as submerged sea-level indicators may be optimal in low-gradient settings in Mediterranean to subtropical environments.

Wind flows on Mars are the dominant contemporary force driving sediment transport and associated morphological change on the planet’s dune fields. To fully understand the atmospheric – surface interactions occurring on the dunes, investigations need to be conducted at appropriate length scales (at or below that of any landform features being examined).The spatial resolution of Martian Global Circulation Models (GCMs) is too low to adequately understand atmospheric-surface processes. Nevertheless, they can be utilised to establish initial state and boundary conditions for finer-scale simulations. Mesoscale atmospheric models have been used before to understand forcing and modification of entire dune fields. However, their resolution is still too coarse to fully understand interactions between the boundary layer and the surface. This study aims to examine and improve our understanding of local-scale processes using microscale (e.g., 1.5m cell spacing) airflow modelling to better investigate localised topographic effects on wind velocity and associated aeolian geomorphology.Toward these aims, this study will simulate microscale wind flow using computational fluid dynamics software (OpenFOAM) at a series of sites containing a variety of topographies and wind regimes. A Mars GCM will provide input for baseline mesoscale modelling runs, the output of which will then be used as input for microscale airflow modelling. The sites used for the study will have excellent orbital, or preferentially, in situ data coverage. Detailed HiRISE imagery will provide high-resolution Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) which will be used by the OpenFOAM simulations. Results from model simulations will be evaluated/validated using both in situ data and geomorphic analysis of imagery.

Beachrocks are coastal sediments that are lithified through the precipitation of carbonate cements. It is widely acknowledged that lithofacies in beachrocks are variable and their interpretation is useful when using beachrock as a sea level indicator or when studying shoreline evolution over the centurial to millennial scales. Surprisingly however, the facies variability of beachrocks remains understudied as they are almost exclusively described as seaward dipping, slab-shaped outcrop forming in low energy dissipative beach environments. The Mission Rocks coastline of north-eastern South Africa is in stark contrast. Here the coast comprises an up to 3 m thick raised shore platform of beachrock, where a variety of sedimentological facies are observed. These comprise seaward-dipping planar bedded sandstones and conglomeratic units, often interbedded with bimodally-orientated trough cross bedded sandstones. In our study we aim to use sedimentological facies analysis, petrography and cathodoluminescence to unravel the deposition- and cementation processes of this beachrock facies.In particular, an unusual beachrock breccia interposed amongst the breakdown remnants of the platform forms the basis of this paper. The breccia documents a cycle of simultaneous erosional breakdown and depositional buildup of the beachrock platform, a yet undescribed process for the development of beachrock. Since it forms as a thin veneer (< 0.10 m), with a slightly thicker infill (≤ 0.5 m) amidst erosional hollows and gullies of the + 2 m high rocky platform, it raises into question the necessity of a thick sedimentary overburden, that is typically considered the requirement for beachrock cementation in the mixing zone. Timing of beachrock formation is constrained by recent anthropogenic activities, as the underlaying platform was mined for building purposes during WWII and it is in these quarry slots and crack that the beachrock is found. While it is generally suspected that beachrocks may form at the centennial scale, evidence for this remains weak. Not only can the interpretation of this facies contribute to our understanding of the long term processes that form and break down beachrocks on high energetic coastlines, it provides insight into rapid beachrock formation and as such its utility as a sea level index point.

This study examines a Holocene-aged submerged shoreline, Limestone Reef, located in the shallow subtidal zone of South Africa’s east coast. It comprises an elongate, coast-oblique, slab-like outcrop of beachrock situated above the contemporary fair-weather wave base. It is currently undergoing mechanical disintegration. Its unique and rare preservation in a high-energy setting affords an opportunity to examine the mechanical processes occurring during wave ravinement associated with rising sea level. The submerged shoreline and the adjacent shoreface were examined using high-resolution seismic reflection, side-scan sonar and shallow-water multibeam echosounding techniques. Limestone Reef rests on top of unconsolidated Holocene deposits. The structure’s surface is characterised by reef-perpendicular gullies with rubble derived from the slab fringing its seaward edge. Limestone Reef slopes gently seawards and has a steep landward-facing edge where gullies are most prominently developed. Teardrop-shaped rippled scour depressions, marked by high backscatter, are located seawards of the submerged shoreline. These elongate in a seaward direction and are filled with bioclastic gravels and residual rubble from Limestone Reef. The gullies in the upstanding structure are indicative of wave plucking and abrasion of the shoreline. The material exposed by the rippled scour depressions is identical to that comprising the postglacial ravinement surface identified in the offshore stratigraphy. These deposits are considered to represent the contemporary, actively forming wave ravinement surface. The results suggest that wave ravinement of submerged shorelines is a discontinuous process dominated by the seaward entrainment of material from its landward edge controlled by high-energy drawback during storm surges. The ravinement process appears to operate at the seasonal scale and averages out over the long-term millennial scale for the continuous surface.

Airflow dynamics and potential sediment transport were measured and modelled across various barchan dune topographies and incident wind conditions. Modification of near surface flow was recorded simultaneously in three dimensions (3D) using dense arrays of high-resolution 3D ultrasonic anemometers. In situ measurements provided rigorous validation and calibration for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling. Measured and modelled results show good agreement between flow velocity, directionality, and turbulence intensity. Modelling of characteristic airflow conditions and surface shear stress beyond the instrument locations, elucidated airflow dynamics across the entire landform surface at an unprecedented level of detail. Emergent turbulent airflow patterns were identified in the form of two counter-rotating vortices that converge at the dune centreline downwind of the dune crest. Integrating a sediment transport function with CFD surface airflow allows for the spatial mapping of flux patterns across the entirety of the dune and interdune surface. On the stoss slope and laterally along the outer barchan arms, there is strong potential sediment flux in response to increased streamwise stress. In lee-side locations, sediment transport remains at ‘above threshold’ conditions and is redirected in response to complex turbulent vortices identified in the overlying wake zone. The precision of the models allows for the identification of complex flow perturbations and associated surface stresses that prove difficult to measure in the field. CFD in combination with a sediment transport function is demonstrated to be a useful tool in investigating morphodynamics of mobile dune systems.

The distribution and geomorphology of aeolianite outcrop on the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa are described in the context of its preservation potential in the geological record. Aeolianite on the contemporary coast comprises discontinuous, widely spaced, outcrops less than 100 m in longshore extent and typically 50–60 m wide that reflects the combined action of subaerial weathering and physical abrasion in the coastal zone since the mid-Holocene (approximately 7000 yrs). The dominant morphological component is an intertidal erosional platform that slopes gently landward. It is fronted by a notch in the mid intertidal zone (0 m MSL) and contains active erosional potholes on its seaward margin. The platform surface is encrusted by a variety of marine organisms. Landward of and contiguous with the intertidal surface are small elevated outcrops of aeolianite in the supratidal zone. These comprise a 3 m-high seaward scarp with a basal notch in the high intertidal zone + 1 m MSL. Gullies in the scarp trap coarse clasts of eroded aeolianite as well as bedrock. The upper surface of the supratidal aeolianite is planar with large potholes within which accumulations of coarse clasts and oyster shells have been cemented. The upper surface is interpreted as a remnant of an intertidal platform formed at a higher mid-Holocene sea level. The supratidal outcrop is subject to weathering and disintegration. Major joints divide the outcrop into cuboid blocks with axes of 3–4 m. Eroded blocks on the seaward face that exceed 1 m diameter, remain in-situ and become locked in place by repeated shaking. Smaller blocks that collapse from the seaward face accumulate in small gullies or are dispersed. The facet most likely to be preserved in the geological record is the planar intertidal platform. The morphology of aeolianite on the contemporary coast is markedly different from submerged aeolianite ridges on the adjacent shelf which are of higher relief, wider and more laterally extensive. Preservation potential of aeolianite under subaerial conditions is low and the widespread high-relief aeolianite on the shelf is attributed to rapid inundation or burial during transgression.

This work is part of a Vice Chancellor's Research Scholarship funding for PhD studies at the Centre for Coastal and Marine Research, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Ulster.

The coast of southeast Africa is dominated by sandy beaches that tend to be confined within log-spiral or headland-bound embayments. Investigations using serendipitous air imagery data set have been previously undertaken and conclusions drawn about the stability of the coast. We show that conclusions drawn from this data, with respect to the high water mark (HWM) position are fraught with errors, which include tidal state, pressure regime, beach slope, high-swell erosion, seasonal and multi-annual changes. We highlight and discuss these sources of error, together with their magnitudes. The most significant of these are the high-swell, seasonal and multi-annual variations. From case studies we show that the seasonal beach rotation and long-term beach width variation are responsible for tens of metres of unaccounted HWM variation, 30 to 50 m is common, with maximums reaching 60 to 100 m. Overall the southeast African coastline appears to be in a state of long-term dynamic equilibrium. There is no evidence of any sea-level rise-forced transgression in the coastal sediment budget, despite sea-level rise (SLR). If such a signal is, in fact present, it is lost within the beach width variation. Some southeast African coastal reaches are suffering chronic erosion, but these are related to anthropogenic impacts. The extreme difficulty of placing a HWM, with any temporal validity on this coast precludes the routine use of the Bruun Rule. Although no transgressive signature is found, there is evidence of a decreasing coastal sand budget as a result of anthropogenic or natural climate change, or both. This decrease in the coastal sand volume is likely to result in increased future erosion. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Nearshore bars play a pivotal role in coastal behaviour, helping to protect and restore beach systems particularly in post-storm conditions. Examination of bar behaviour under various forcing conditions is important to help understand the short- to medium-term evolution of sandy beach systems. This study carried out over a nine-week period examines, the behaviour of three intertidal bars along a high energy sandy beach system in northwest Ireland using high-frequency topographic surveys and detailed nearshore hydrodynamic modelling. Results show that, in general, there was onshore migration for all the bars during the study period, despite the variability observed between bars, which was driven mostly by wave dominated processes. Under the prevailing conditions migration rates of up to 1.83 m day−1 and as low as 0.07 m day−1 were observed. During higher wave energy events the migration rates of the bars decelerated in their onshore route, however, under lower wave energy conditions, they quickly accelerated maintaining their shoreward migration direction. Tidal influence appears to be subordinate in these conditions, being restricted to moderating the localized wave energy at low tides and in maintaining runnel configurations providing accommodation space for advancing slip faces. The study highlights the intricate behavioural patterns of intertidal bar behaviour along a high energy sandy coastline and provides new insights into the relative importance of wave and tidal forcing on bar behaviour over a relatively short time period. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ireland experienced a spatially complex pattern of relative sea-level (RSL) changes and shoreline development caused by the interplay of isostatic and eustatic (ice equivalent sea level) processes since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Using a combination of high-resolution marine geophysical data, vibrocores, foraminiferal analysis and 10 AMS radiocarbon dates, we reconstruct the Late Quaternary evolution and RSL history of Bantry Bay, a large (40 km long, 5–10 km wide) embayment in SW Ireland. The data indicate two infill phases: one before and one after the LGM, separated by glacial and lowstand sediments. The pre-LGM history is not dated and the depositional history is inferred. A large sediment lobe formed at the outer edge of Bantry Bay as a lowstand ice-proximal glacimarine outwash system as the ice retreated after the LGM, at a sea level ca. 80 m lower than present. Iceberg scour immediately west of this location likely relate to the break-up of the local Kerry–Cork Ice Cap. Long curvilinear ridges, seen both offshore and on top of the sediment lobe, probably formed as shoreface ridges under stronger-than-present tidal currents during a period of RSL stability (pre-14.6 ka cal BP). A subsequent infill phase is characterised by a basin-wide erosional (ravinement) surface and the deposition of inter- and sub-tidal estuarine sediments. Although our data support the general trends, our stratigraphic and radiocarbon data suggest a higher sea level between 11 and 13.5 ka cal BP than predicted by existing glacial isostatic adjustment models.

The seismic stratigraphy, architecture and evolution of a large subtropical embayment, Maputo Bay, Southern Mozambique is described. Nine seismic units are documented; and show repeated phases of incised valley formation and transgressive infilling. Trangressive infilling alternates between the classic wave-dominated transgressive succession of fluvial and central estuarine bay deposits and the filling by intertidal flat and tidal bedforms developed during stages of inlet restriction and shallowing associated with barrier growth at stillstand intervals. Imprinted on the succession are several key facets of subtropical stratigraphy, hurricane-generated erosional surfaces and beachrock horizons. The upper stratigraphy comprises the highstand bayhead delta, a prograding feature constructed by several flood events. In comparison with literature from other similar systems such as lagoons, coastal lakes and estuaries, a generic three stage stratigraphic model of large marine embayments is proposed that includes incision during glaciations; transgressive infilling during deglaciations; and shallowing during the stillstand episodes of the recent deglaciation.

The South African coast contains abundant estuaries and lagoons, most of which originated as river valleys incised during Quaternary sea-level fall and subsequently drowned and/or infilled during rising interglacial sea levels. This chapter discusses these changes and highlights the geomorphological and sedimentological evolution of several southern African estuaries during the Pleistocene to present. The development, infilling and positioning of incised valley systems is mainly controlled by sea-level variation as well as fluvial and marine sediment supply. Most contemporary estuaries in southern Africa show dramatic responses to shorter term sea-level fluctuations and sediment supply during the Holocene. Barring anthropogenic interference, the dynamic behaviour of estuaries, dictated by their transient position and geomorphic character within an incised valley, is considered to fluctuate on centennial to millennial timescales.