How to Read a Florida Gulf Coast Beach: A Guide to Shadow Dunes, Ghost Forests, and Other Telltale Clues from an Ever-Changing Coast (Southern Gateways Guides)
Come explore the geology of Florida’s Gulf Coast beaches, from a bird’s-eye view down to a crab’s-eye view. You’ll journey from Panhandle sugar-sand beaches to southwestern shell beaches, taking a fresh look at the ever-changing landscape. With Tonya Clayton as your guide, you’ll learn how to recognize the stories and read the clues of these dynamic shores, reshaped daily by winds, waves, and sometimes bulldozers or dump trucks.
This dynamic tour begins with a broad description of Florida’s G
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Tonya Clayton has written the book I’ve been waiting for!,
The book delivers what it promises: an exploration of the Florida Gulf coast’s dynamic shores and the way they are reshaped every day by wind, waves and the hand of man.
Seeing all my favorite beaches described through the eyes of a scientist answered many of the questions I had about why there is so much variation in the shapes and textures of Florida’s islands and beaches. I learned how and why Anclote Key, for instance, has been growing in size over the last 50 years instead of shrinking like Egmont Key.
I learned about the interplay between tidal currents and waves and how they sculpt the shape of a “drumstick” island like Siesta Key and Anna Maria Island. The book is scientifically accurate but is written to be accessible by the layperson. Clayton isn’t just a scientist, but a talented science writer as well, and does an excellent job of leaving out the jargon without dumbing down the understanding of the forces at play. It is written to appeal to the educated reader who is curious about the natural world.
You won’t find any mathematical formulas in this book, but you will find plenty of black and white photos of beaches (and a few color plates as well) and there is plenty of aerial photography included to “show” and not just “tell” the reader about the features she explains.
Clayton reads the patterns and markings in the beach sand like an animal tracker reads a trail through the forest, explaining what is happening on the beach by examining the textures and shapes she sees.
She discusses oil spill events, hurricanes, erosion control efforts, coastal construction impacts, and much more, and ends with some thoughts about the future of Florida’s beaches.
To be sure, this is not a travel guide for the average tourist. It is an excellent companion to a conventional travel guide and is a treasure trove for the curious naturalist.
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