Coastal Erosion and Inundation Hawke’s Bay has 353 km of coast
line on the Pacific Ocean, with various landscapes from low
lying sandy or gravel beaches, to steep cliffs. Erosion and
inundation are hazards for some coastal communities and
landowners. Coastal erosion is the removal of material at the
coast causing the shoreline to retreat landward. The processes
include not only the work of the sea, but also that of the wind,
migrating river mouths and tidal inlets, coastal landslides and
tectonics. Coastal erosion occurs as a short-term fluctuation in
the shoreline and a long-term trend of shoreline retreat.
Coastal erosion can also be caused, or exacerbated, by man-made
structures placed in the coastal environment, which interfere
with natural coastal processes. On this page Coastal inundation
is the flooding of low-lying coastal areas by seawater. This
occurs when storm surges or heavy swells - often coinciding with
high tides - overtop beach crests. Percolation through beach
dunes can add to the volume of