Coastal depositional environments of the inner Marlborough Sounds

Increasing utilization of the Marlborough Sounds for leisure time activities has placed considerable recreational demands on a former, relatively uncrowded, coastline. However, little is known about the nature of the shoreline or the dynamics of its formation. In fact, despite their singular geomorphic characteristics and many opportunities for research, the Marlborough Sounds have rarely been the subject of scientific investigations apart from fisheries' research. Depositional landforms are the main sites of human interaction between land and sea and form the centre of recreational activities and yet they are the most susceptible to physical change. Also there has been increasing public concern about the present rate of infilling of the Sounds. As this study considers coastal deposits in an environment different from previous New Zealand studies it adds to the present knowledge on the effects of the processes acting on New Zealand’s coasts. It also elucidates some of the above considerations