Tales of the Coast
Coastal Dynamics

Redirecting...

Wind and Glaciated Coasts

Glaciated coasts are strongly affected by waves, which are driven by wind. Waves rework glacial deposits such as outwash that is deposited when glaciers melt.

On the Atlantic coast, previous glaciers left many depositional features behind, including moraines and drumlins. Wind creates waves that have significantly modified these features over time. For example, the original town of Boston was settled on drumlins in the 1600s, and the islands in Boston Harbor are reworked drumlins. Nantucket Island, Block Island, and Long Island are partially submerged moraines that have been extensively reworked.

Glaciated coast
Source: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Adminstration (NOAA)

Wind and Glaciated Coasts

Wind-driven waves rework sediment along glaciated coasts in Alaska and northern New England.