Coastal environments from polar regions to the tropics: a geographer’s zonality perspective

Abstract

Abstract From a geographical point of view, the general pattern of coastal zones (or geographical coastal zonality) is arranged along latitudinal gradients and gradations from the Equator to the poles, caused by the spherical shape of our planet and the distribution of heat according to the angle of incoming radiation. As the distribution of land and oceans differs between hemispheres and along latitudes, and atmospheric and oceanic circulation moves energy in all directions, the global pattern of coastal forms and processes due to climate-triggered conditions is very complex. Moreover, each single pattern is dynamic and subject to revision by changes in the climate. Some coastal zones (e.g. humid tropics or high polar zones) can be delimited rather easily, while others (e.g. temperate cool or those with alternating tropical climate) are more difficult to define. This paper provides a short overview of the state of the art in geographical zonality of coastal environments (not only of coastlines) from the poles to the Equator, with the main emphasis on cold and warm zones, pointing to climate-induced differences in the context of Quaternary climate change or those occurring over the last centuries and decades.