● School and Code:Date: February 5th 2024

●
● Name of Group members:
- Liam Greaves
- Diara Griffith
- Xavier Giles
- Kaliah Tull
- Tyler McCollin
-
● Name of Teacher: Mr. Proverbs
Table of Contents:

Introduction......................................................................................................................................
Aim....................................................................................................................................................
Location Of Study.............................................................................................................................
Map of Barbados..............................................................................................................................
Map of Little Bay.............................................................................................................................
Map of Brighton Beach....................................................................................................................
Methodology.....................................................................................................................................
Presentation Of Data........................................................................................................................
Little Bay’s Data...............................................................................................................................
Graph Of Little Bay’s Frequency Count..........................................................................................
Brighton’s Beach’s Data.................................................................................................................
Graph Of Brighton’s Wave Frequency:...........................................................................................
Discussion........................................................................................................................................
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................
 Introduction

However, there were otherThe purposes of this school-based assessment (S.B.A), was to

travel to Brighton Beach (St. Michael) and Little Bay (St. Lucy) to compare the different types of

waves, coastal features we encountered, both natural and man-made and in addition to the flora

and fauna which were present at the time. In addition, any changes the beach encountered from

the last visit was also noted.

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g
Aim
To investigate how Little Bay and Brighton Beach coastal features were created by wave action

and anthropogenic activities.

g
Location Of Study
Map of Barbados

Figure 1

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Map of Little Bay

Figure 2
Map of Brighton Beach

Figure 3

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 Methodology

How was the data collected?

Little Bay and Brighton beach wave frequencies were counted for 1-minute intervals for 10

minutes. The coastal features (natural and anthropogenic), the length and width of the beaches

were measured, the weather conditions, and the texture of the sand were noted. In

additionaddition, the flora, and fauna were observedobserved, and photos were taken of the

surrounding area.

Where was the data collected?

The data was collected at Brighton Beach St. Michael and Little Bay St. Lucy. All of these have

been highlighted in our map of Barbados.

When was the data collected?

On the 4th of October 2023 and , the time of arrival for Brighton Beach was 9:05 am while the

time of departure was 9:36 am. For Little Bay, the arrival time was 10:20 am while the departure

time was 11:01 am. On the 27th of January 2023, data was also collected. between the hours of

8:30 am and 2:00 pm.

 Presentation Of Data

Little Bay’s Data

Table 1: Little Bay’s features, both man-made and coastal

Man-made features Coastal Features
-None- Conglomerate rock

Wave-cut Platform

Blowholes

Tide pools

Arches

Table 2: Little Bay’s flora and fauna

Flora Fauna
Sargasso Hermit crab

Sea moss Mussels

Coconut Trees

Seaweed

Table 3: Little Bay’s sea conditions and weather

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 Sea Conditions Weather
Slightly Rough Very sunny

High tide Little to no breeze

Very hot

Table 4: Little Bay’s measurements

Width of the Beach Length of the Beach
22.6m 148.2m
Graph Of Little Bay’s Wave Frequency

Figure 4. Graph showing Little Bay’s wave count on the 4th of October 2023

● Analysis:
This bar chart shows the wave count frequency of Little Bay. The y-axis represents the

number of waves recorded for each respective minute on the x-axis.

The number of waves that broke on the shore ranged from 8 - 10, 10 was the peak number of

waves during the ten minutes while 8 was the lowest. Both the mode and median of the wave

count is 9.

This is surprisingly low for Little Bay because it is a destructive beach. Destructive beaches

only have destructive waves and have a wave count of 10-14. We know that Little Bay is a

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destructive beach because only destructive waves can form the coastal features seen at Little

Bay.

Graph Of Little Bay’s Wave Count

Figure 5. Graph showing Little Bay’s wave count on the 27th of January 2023

This bar chart shows the wave count frequency of Little Bay. The y-axis represents the

number of waves recorded for each respective minute on the x-axis. The highest wave count was

recorded in the 2nd minute.

 The wave count stays at a consistent 7 apart from the 2nd and 7th minute, where it rises

to 10 and 8 respectively. This means the wave count range is 7-10. Both the median and mode

were 7.

On the day on which we recorded this data Little Bay’s wave frequency was surprisingly

low, because Little Bay is a destructive beach and usually has higher wave frequencies. We

know this because the features found at this beach could only be made by destructive waves,

which are only found at destructive beaches, which have a wave count of 10-14. Therefore, the

features of this beach are erosional.

Brighton’s Beach’s Data

Table 5: Brighton’s Beach’s features, both man-made and coastal

Man-made features Coastal features
Hot pot Sand bar

Small pond Spit

Sea wall Beach

Table 6: Brighton’s Beach’s flora and fauna

Flora Fauna
Manchineel Dogs

Casuarina Crabs
Mile tree Birds
Seagrass
Castor oil
Monkey Tamarind
Seaside yam/ goat foot

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Table 7: Brighton’s Beach’s weather conditions
Sea conditions Weather
Calm Sunny

High tide Light breeze

Hot

Table 8: Brighton’s Beach’s measurements

Width of the Beach Length of the Beach
14m 88m
Graph Of Brighton’s Wave Frequency:

Figure 9. Showing the graph of Brighton’s Beach’s wave count on the 4th of October 2023

● Analysis:

This bar chart shows the wave count frequency of Brighton’s Beach. The y-axis represents
the number of waves recorded for each respective minute on the x-axis. The highest wave count
was recorded in the fourth and tenth minutes.
The number of waves that broke on the shore tells us that the wave frequency was 8-10
waves per minute. 10 was the peak number of waves during the ten minutes while 8 was the
lowest. Both the mode and median of the wave count is 9.

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 This is relatively normal, albeit slightly high, because Brighton's Beach is a constructive
beach and this type of beach has a wave frequency of 6-8 waves per minute. We know this
because the beach has features that can only be created by constructive waves and constructive
waves are only found on constructive beaches.

Graph Of Brighton’s Wave Count:

Figure 10. Graph showing Brighton’s Beach’s wave count on the 27th of January 2023

This bar chart shows the wave count frequency of Brighton’s Beach. The y-axis
represents the number of waves recorded for each respective minute on the x-axis.
The lowest wave count was recorded in the 5th minute, with 6 waves, while both the median and
the mode wave count was 9. Based on the graph, the wave frequency is 6-9 waves per minute.
 With constructive waves ranging from 6-8 waves per minute, we know that the low wave
count recordedcount recorded means that this beach is constructive. Therefore, the features found
are depositional.

Discussion

During the tour from beach to beach, we learned how to document and observe what was
seen properly. Studying all the different coastal features and seeing the differendifferentiatece
between erosional and depositional features in person was very beneficial and added to our
knowledge. The study beganins with a breakdown of the data collected at Brighton's beach and
Little Bay. FirstlyThe the coastal features, how they were created and , changes spotted over
time. Secondly the, flora and fauna, and finally the wave action. at the time, will all be discussed,
in that order.
A beach can The beach could have changed size and shape due to longshore drift,
weather (storm), and anthropogenic activities. Therefore, Longshore drift is the movement of
material due to waves and , changes in weather or anthropogenic activities. Longshore drift is the
movement of material due to waves and Aanthropogenic activities are actions that are caused by
man.people Afterwards, the same will be repeated for Brighton.

Brighton’s Beach
As stated in Table 5, we encountered three (3) man-made features as we got to Brighton Beach,
The Hot Pot, Small Pond, and a sea wall.

Spit

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Hot Pot
 Figure 11. Showing The Hot Pot.

The Hot Pot is an artificial river. It originates from seawater used to cool the turbines of
the nearby power plant which is pumped back into the sea. This 40-megawatt plant is owned by
the Barbados Light and Power company., which produces salt, natural gas, and diesel as a by-
product. IIn addition, the water contains from this feature forms a sulphur pool, is very warm
which is radiated and hasand bubbles continually, with a pungent smell of rotten eggs. ThThus,
the outlet warm water mixing with the cool water has ese changes to the area causing have
caused turbulent waveshe water to rise in temperature.

Small Pond

Rum
Factory

Goat’s foot

Figure 12. Showing The Small Pond.

 The Small Pond is a small body of water made from waves by the nearby rum factory and
rainwater, making it both a natural and man-made feature. That said, the water found here is a
mixture of freshwater and seawater, thus making it brackish water. The pond itself emits toxic
gas which, if disturbed, releases methane that has the potential to kill anyone present once
inhaled.

Sea wall

Figure 13. Showing the sea wall.

Sea walls are solid barriers made from different hard materials and are designed to prevent high
tides and storm surges from reaching inland and causing flooding.
Source: (2021) https://thefloodhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Sea-Walls-2.pdf

In addition to the three (3) man-made features, we encountered two (2) naturally made
features, a spit, and a sandbar.

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 Spit

Figure 14. Showing the spit.

A spit is generally a linear deposit of beach material attached at one end to land and free
at the other, spits are made from sediment carried by longshore drift collecting and forming a
tongue of sand. This can be viewed in fig.15 below.

Source 1: Goude, A. Wilson Atkinson, B. Gregory, K. J. (1994) Encyclopedic Dictionary of

Physical Geography
Source 2: Wilson, M. (2016) The Caribbean Environment for CSEC Geography.
Figure 15. Showing the formation process of a spit.

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 Spit’s original
spot

Figure 16. Showing the picture of the spit on the 27th of January

The photo in fig. 16 had been taken on the 27th of January which clearly showed the spit,
however, when we returned on the 4th of October, the spit had disappeared as seen in fig… This
is due to anthropogenic reasons, it was removed by an excavatortracker on site so the light and
power plant nearby doesn't explode due to the contents of the hot pot. However, this may not
have completed the job, therefore, a storm came to wash away the remains of the spit.
 Sand
Bermar

Spit

Figure17. Showing the sand bar and part of the spit.

A sandbar is a linear deposit of beach material running approximately parallel to the line
of the coast, some are submerged and others appear above the waves, they may be stabilized by
vegetation and can grow large enough to form a barrier island. A sandbar is formed by sand
washed offshore and sand washed inshore accumulating in a single spot.
Source: Wilson, M. (2016) The Caribbean Environment for CSEC Geography.

In addition to all of these wonderful coastal features, there were plenty of flora and fauna
to be seen as noted in Table. 2.

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 Caster-
oil plant

Manchineel

Sea
Casuarina

Goat’s

Figure 18. Showing the flora at Brighton’s Beach.

GhostHermit
Crab

Figure 19. Showing the fauna at Brighton Beach.

 Now, having discussed the coastal features, flora, and fauna found at Brighton’s Beach,
let’s discuss the wave activity displayed on both the 27th of January and the 7th of October. The
readings taken on the 27th of January were higher than those recorded in October. This may be
because we had measured the waves in front of the hot pot. We did this because the hot pot has
more flow rather than the sea. The waves also break faster there. So in short, the hot pot
influenced the wave frequency, causing them to be higher than what they should have been.
However, both readings were higher than what they should have been, given the fact that
Brighton is a constructive beach. On the 7th of October, the readings were higher than expected,
this was because, on this day, Barbados had been expecting a storm, which may have tampered
with the rate at which the waves broke the shore.

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Little Bay
As stated in Table 1, we encountered no man-made features, which makes sense since it
has few visitors. However, we encountered five (5) naturally made features: arches, tidal pools,
blowholes, wave-cut platforms, and conglomerate rock.

Headland Arch

Blowhole

Wave-cut
platform

Figure 20. Showing an arch, headland, blowhole, and wave-cut platform.

An arch is a pathway running from one side of a headland to the other, with a roof of rock over
it, such as the one pictured above, this feature is formed by the erosion of a headland, first
creating a cave and then eroding further in until the sea cuts through the headland completely.
This can be viewed in fig. 20 below.
Source: Wilson, M. (2016) The Caribbean Environment for CSEC Geography.
Figure 21. Showing the formation process of an arch.

Tide

Figure 22. Showing tide pools.

Tide pools are pools of salt water left by an ebbing tide. These are caused by the
gravitational pull of the sun or moon. This can be viewed in fig.23 below.
Source: Webster, M. (2004) The Merriam-Webster Dictionary

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Figure 23. Showing the formation process of a tide pool.

Blow

Wave- Tidal

Figure 24. Showing the wave-cut platform, blow holes, and tidal pools

A wave-cut platform is a platform at the base of a cliff formed by a notch in a cliff

(created by erosion) increasing until the cliff has retreated and a wave-cut platform is made. This
can be viewed in fig. 24 below.
Source: Thornes, N. (2016) Geography for CSEC 2nd Edition
Figure 25. Showing the formation process of a wave-cut platform
A blowhole is a hole in the ground that connects to a cave opening in the sea. These are
formed by vertical erosion inside sea caves. This can be seen in fig. 25 below.

Source 1: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/blowhole
Source 2: Elisha Sawe, B. (2017) https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/coastal-landforms-
what-is-a-blowhole.html

Figure 26. Showing the formation process of a blowhole.

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Figure 27. Showing conglomerate rock.

Conglomerate rock is a type of sedimentary rock. These rocks are formed as older rocks are
weathered away to form loose material, this material is then eroded and transported to another
location by, in this case, wave action. The material is then deposited in a river, lake, or beneath
the sea, forming layers of sediment.
Source: Wilson, M. (2016) The Caribbean Environment for CSEC Geography.

Just as we did with Brighton's beach let’s repeat as we look at the flora and fauna in
Table. 6.
 Coconut tree

Seaweed

Figure 28. Showing the flora at Little Bay.

Hermit Crab

Figure 29. Showing the fauna at Little Bay

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 After discussing the coastal features, flora, and fauna of Little Bay, let us now jump into
the wave action. The data collected on the 27th of January was higher than that collected on the
7th of October. Although higher, this is still low for Little Bay as it is a destructive beach. As
stated before, weather conditions affected the island on the 7th of October, resulting in a change
in wave frequency However, on the 27th of January, the weather was great, the only logical
explanation for the wave frequency being so low is that it was low tide as we had arrived1
 Conclusion

To summarise, the first time at Little Bay we found the range of the wave to be from 8-10

with both the median and mode being 9. This was surprisingly low for Little Bay because it is a

destructive beach, and should have destructive waves which range from 10-14. We know this

because the coastal features that were found there could only be made on a destructive beach.

Little Bay’s length was found to be 148.2m and its width was 22.6m. While there were no man-

made coastal features at Little Bay, the natural ones seen were: Conglomerate rock, Wave-cut

platforms, Blowholes, Tidepools, and arches. The flora seen were: Sargasso, Sea moss, Coconut

Trees, and seaweed and the fauna seen were: Hermit Crabs and Mussels. At Little Bay, the

weather conditions were: very sunny, with little to no breeze, and very hot. The sea conditions

were slightly rough and at high tide.

The difference between the first and second time we went to Little Bay was the wave

count, which had a range of waves at 7-10, and a median and mode of 7. While still low for a

destructive beach it was much more consistent with all but two of the wave counts being 7.

The first time at Brighton Beach, we found the range of the wave to be from 8-10 with a

median and mode of 9. This is relatively normal, albeit slightly high, because Brighton's Beach is

a constructive beach and this type of beach has a wave frequency of 6-8 waves per minute. We

know this because the beach has features that can only be created by constructive waves and

constructive waves are only found on constructive beaches. Brighton Beach’s Length was 88m

and its width was 14m. The man-made features seen were the Hot pot, a small pond, and a sea

wall and the coastal features were a spit and a sandbar. The flora seen were: Manchineel,

Casuarina, Mile Tree, Seagrass, Castor oil, and Monkey Tamarind and the fauna seen were:

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dogs, crabs, and birds. The weather conditions were: sunny, light breeze, and hot. The sea

conditions were calm and at high tide.

The difference between the first and second time we went to Brighton Beach was that the

wave count was 6-9 waves per minute which is lower and closer to the amount for constructive

beaches. The main difference was that the spit had been removed due to anthropogenic activities.

Bibliography