Coastal environments are shaped by both physical and human processes leading to vast variety in their landscapes.

The rock type at the coast matters! Hard rocks like granite and basalt create rugged landscapes. A real-life example is the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland - a peculiar place where you can see nearly 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, thanks to an ancient volcanic fissure eruption!

On the flip side, soft rocks such as sands and gravels form low, flat landscapes. Cape Cod off the north-east coast of America is a great example, with miles of sandy beaches that are perfect for a sun-kissed vacation!

Concordant coastlines occur where the geological strata lie parallel to the coastline, like the Pacific coastline of the USA. Discordant coastlines are those where geological strata are at right angles to the shoreline, like the south-west coastline of Ireland. The former is like placing a bunch of pancakes flat and the latter is like sticking pencils into a piece of foam!

Coastal landscapes could be erosional (think: rapidly retreating cliffs on the east coast of England) or depositional (lots of sand dunes and coastal flats like in the Netherlands). Imagine using a sand blaster on a block of clay - that's erosion! Deposition, on the other hand, is like gently sprinkling sand over glue spread on a board, creating dunes and flats.

Coastlines advance (grow due to deposition and/or fall in sea level) or retreat (erode and/or drown due to rise in sea level). Now, picture yourself playing a tug-of-war with the sea, sometimes you pull and the coastline advances, and sometimes the sea pulls harder, causing the coast to retreat!

Humans also impact coasts; some like Cape Cod are being extensively modified, while others like Skellig Michael remain more natural. It's like having a wild garden vs. a well-manicured one!

Coastlines can also house different ecosystems such as mangrove, coral, sand dune, salt marsh, and rocky shore adding even more diversity! These are like Mother Nature's decorative items, each adding its unique touch to the coastal look!

Most waves are generated by wind blowing over the sea surface, while some are caused by tides and earthquakes. Think of the sea as a giant drum - it can be played by the wind, the moon, the sun, or even shaking ground!