Khalil, S.M. and Finkl, C.W., 2007. Submarine geomorphology and coastal process zones: Morphodynamics of the inner continental shelf off southeast Florida. Journal of Coastal Research, SI 50 (Proceedings of the 9th International Coastal Symposium), 480 – 485. Gold Coast, Australia, ISSN 0749.0208
The subtropical southeast coast of Florida is a mixed siliciclastic-carbonate shore that contains sandy beaches, marshes, estuaries, rock reefs and barrier coral reef systems that make up the Florida Reef Tract (FRT). Detailed study of coastal morphologies in a 45-km2 study area to an offshore depth of about 25 m, identified numerous morphostructures including dune, beach, shoreface and bar systems, sand waves, hardground, zetaform bays, patch reefs, barrier reefs, inter-reefal sand flats and reef gaps. The morphostructures were used to interpret spatial distributions of processes related to their development. Morphology and genesis were thus classified in terms of ten coastal process zones. Mapping coastal morphostructures gives new insight into the topologies of coasts that affords better understanding of form-process relationships. The value of mapping coastal process zones lies in the ability to interpret the spatial distribution of morphostructures for large-scale investigation of coastal areas subject to shore erosion, protection and investigation of sand resource potentials.
