Australian Coastal Systems

This book describes the entire coast and beaches and barrier systems of Australia. It covers the coastal processes and systems that form and impact Australia's 30.000 km coast, 12.000 beaches and 2750 barrier systems. These processes include geology, geomorphology, climate, waves, tides, currents, sediment supply, as well as coastal ecosystems. The coast is divided into tropical northern and southern temperate provinces, within which are seven divisions, 23 regions and 354 coastal sediment compartments each of which is described in detail in the 34 chapters. Within these systems are the full range of wave through tide-dominated beaches and barriers ranging from cheniers to massive transgressive dune systems together with a range of onshore and longshore sand transport systems. This is an up to date reference for the entire coast, its present condition and likely responses to the impacts of climate change.

Andrew Short is a marine scientist specializing in coastal processes and beach morphodynamics. He has degrees from the University of Sydney (BA Hons), University of Hawaii (MA), and Louisiana State University (PhD in Marine Science). He commenced his academic career as an assistant professor in the Coastal Studies Institute at Louisiana State University where he worked on the coasts of north Alaska and Brazil. He then moved to the School of Earth Sciences Macquarie University where he began his intensive study of beach systems around the Australian coast, which ultimately led to the development of the "Australian" beach models in collaboration with his colleague Don Wright. In 1977, he took up a position at the University of Sydney where he remained in the School of Geosciences until 2007.

He has also been visiting professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Utrecht University, the University of Auckland, the University of Ulster, the Universidade Federal Rio Grande (Brazil), and the Universidade Federal do Santa Catarina (Brazil).

He has conducted beach research on the coasts of North and South America, including north Alaska and Hawaii, and Brazil, Europe, New Zealand, Korea, South Africa, and the entire Australian coast. His main area of research and publication is in beach and surf zone morphodynamics, together with related interests in coastal dune and barrier systems, inner shelf morphodynamics, beach hazards and safety, coastal impacts of climate change, and coastal management.

He is presently Honorary Professor in the School of Geosciences at the University of Sydney, Honorary Professorial Fellow in the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of Wollongong, Senior Coastal Scientist (part-time) with CoastalCOMS.com, and Chair of National Surfing Reserves (Australia). His extensive contribution to both coastal science and beach safety was recognized on Australia Day 2010 with the award of an Order of Australia Medal.

Short has written 10 books, edited 4 books, and has over 200 scientific publications. His last book "Brazilian Beach Systems" covers the entire Brazilian coast and its seventeen coastal states. His most recent project, the "Australia Coastal Sediment Compartments" in collaboration with a small team of 'coastal experts' and funded by the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, mapped and described all 354 coastal sediment compartments around the entire Australian coast as well as their likely response to climate change. These compartments form the basis for the present book "Australian Coastal Systems: beaches, barriers and sediment compartments" which is also based on his intimate knowledge of the entire Australian coast: its coastal processes, beaches and barrier systems.