Where has all the sand gone from marsden bay, it never used to be as stoney as it is today?

Question

When i look at all the old photo's of marsden bay in south shields there doesn't seem to be that many stones but today there is almost nothing but stones. has the local authority got something to do with it, is this the reason south shields beach has got so much sand or did the stones just get moved in the past?

Answer 1

There has probably been sediment starvation, as well as longshore drift. The East coast has many sea defences, which prevents sediment getting into the sea from erosion of cliffs and suchlike, which would otherwise be carried down the coast by longshore drift.

Answer 2

Sand gets moved by Longshore drift. The backwash of waves drag sand out to sea and then as the wave returns, it pushes it back again, it repeats ina a ZigZag fashion. The process of the transportation of sand in the waves is 'Suspension'. Or your council may have moved the sand to other parts of the coast.