Overwash
Overwash is the flow of water and sediment over a
inundation.[3]
Deposition from overwash (washover) can be deposited onto the beach berm, the
dune, or as far as the back barrier bay, marsh, estuary, or lagoon. Sediment deposits created during overwash exhibit consistent scaling — for example, the distance inland that an overwash deposit extends is proportional to the area that the overwash deposit covers.[4] The distance inland that an overwash deposit extends is also correlated with the volume of sand deposited.[5] The amount of overwash and washover sedimentation also depends on the characteristics of the storm and the setting — coastal development tends to reduce the amount of sand deposited on a barrier island during overwash, with consequences for barrier island evolution.[5]
The
plants — a small amount of sand deposited can increase salt marsh plant growth, but too much deposited sand will kill vegetation.[8]
During large storms, overwash deposits can self-organize into a periodic, rhythmic pattern, where overwash deposits occur at a regular spacing along the shoreline.[9]
References
- S2CID 131321011.
- S2CID 54010731.
- JSTOR 4300099.
- ISSN 1944-8007.
- ^ hdl:1912/7946.
- doi:10.1130/g36460.1.
- .
- PMID 27069590.
- doi:10.1130/g36329.1.
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