The study of coastal sediment processes was carried out initially by coastal geomorphologists in the past century. However, the dynamics of nearshore sediment movement has been treated by researchers in the fields of coastal engineering and nearshore oceanography over the past half century. The aim of this paper is to review the achievement of the related researches up to the present and to suggest finally the subjects which should be studied more deeply in the near future. This review article covers 1) the significance of coastal sediment study as an introduction, 2) an outline of coastal sediment behavior, 3) the critical water depth for the inception of sediment movement, 4) various modes of coastal sediment movement, 5) numerical simulation models of beach transformation, and 6) conclusions and recommendations for future studies.


(Communicated by Takao INUI, M.J.A.)