Which coastal current runs parallel to the shore and is driven by waves arriving at an angle?

Which coastal current runs parallel to the shore and is driven by waves arriving at an angle?

• A. Longshore Drift
• B. Longshore Current
• C. Inlet
• D. Lagoon

Answer: (B)

When waves strike the coast at an angle, the water in the nearshore zone is pushed along the shore as the wave energy and water move up the beach diagonally and return and refill. This creates a current that runs parallel to the coastline—the longshore current. It’s the water movement, not the sediment itself. The sediment transport that results from this current along the shore is called longshore drift, but the current driving it is the longshore current. Inlets and lagoons are coastal landforms, not currents, which is why they’re not the correct choice.

When waves strike the coast at an angle, the water in the nearshore zone is pushed along the shore as the wave energy and water move up the beach diagonally and return and refill. This creates a current that runs parallel to the coastline—the longshore current. It’s the water movement, not the sediment itself. The sediment transport that results from this current along the shore is called longshore drift, but the current driving it is the longshore current. Inlets and lagoons are coastal landforms, not currents, which is why they’re not the correct choice.