Nearshore Bedforms

Bedforms are the expression of fluid flow acting on sediments. They are defined by their wavelength, height and three-dimensional morphology, and these parameters vary as a function of flow properties, and both sediment grain size and sorting. Bedforms are the fundamental elements of sedimentary systems, and this article focuses on those encountered at the transition between the continental and marine realms—the nearshore. In nearshore environments, wave-, tide-, and river-induced flows act individually and/or together to construct different bedforms such as ripples, dunes, upper-stage plane beds, and supercritical bedforms.