Coastal Heroes

Book excerpt: The major purpose of this book is to present the significant aspects of how coastlines evolve, stressing some original ideas regarding the origin and morphology of the coastlines of the world that my students, co-workers, and I have made over the years. Our chosen profession is coastal geo-morphology, or, as some prefer to say, coastal geology. Also, with most of the ideas or projects presented in the different chapters, side stories are told to present the history of their development, as well as an introduction to the reader of the diverse and unforgettable people - scientists, students, and otherwise - involved. I have been lucky enough to experience a scientific career that has lasted over 50 years, involving field projects on all the major continents except Australia. I also have conducted studies near the magnetic north pole and the south pole, and along the entire coastline of Alaska. In addition to those areas, most of the shoreline of the Arabian Peninsula, the coast of West Africa, and many other areas (in 42 countries and still counting) have been investigated.