With strong personal and professional ties to the Gulf of Mexico, 
marine geologist John B. Anderson has spent two decades 
studying the Texas coastline and continental shelf. In this book, he 
answers fundamental, frequently asked questions about the 
coast—how it evolved; how it operates; how natural processes affect it 
and why it is ever changing; and, finally, how human development can 
be managed to help preserve it.

    The book provides an amply illustrated look at ocean waves and 
currents, beach formation and erosion, barrier island evolution, 
hurricanes, and sea level changes. With an abundance of visual 
material—including aerial photos, historical maps, simple figures, and 
satellite images—the author presents a lively, interesting lesson 
in coastal geography that readers will remember and appreciate the 
next time they are at the beach and want to know:

What happens to sand that erodes from our beaches?

Can beach erosion be stopped—and should we try?

How much sand is needed to stabilize our beaches?

Does a hurricane have any positive impacts?

How much development can the coast withstand?
        
    This entertaining and instructive book authoritatively answers 
these and many other questions that are essential to our 
understanding of coastal change.

_________________________________________________________

JOHN B. ANDERSON is professor of earth sciences at Rice 
University, where he also holds the W. Maurice Ewing 
Professorship in Oceanography. He is best known for his work in 
Antarctic marine geology, but his other research has focused on the 
northern Gulf of Mexico basin. He lives in Houston.


Number Eleven: Gulf Coast Studies, sponsored by Texas A&M 
University–Corpus Christi


What people are saying about this book

"The Formation and Future of the Upper Texas Coast: A Geologist 
Answers Questions about Sand, Storms, and Living by the Sea by 
Rice professor John B. Anderson is required reading for any one 
who cares about our coast. However, unlike a lot of required 
reading, this book costs less than $25.00, has lots of pictures, and 
talks about stuff you might really care about."—Citizen's 
Environmental Coalition Newsletter, August 2007

"While an important explanation of the extreme difficulty of living 
on the upper Texas coast, this work most importantly exposes the 
concealed geology that preceded the current landform."—Dick 
Hoese, co-author, Fishes of the Gulf Coast of Mexico