Which beach profile develops over weeks to months in calm, low-energy conditions?

• A. Swell profile
• B. Storm profile
• C. Longshore drift
• D. Beach nourishment

Answer: (A)

In calm, low-energy conditions the beach gradually reworks its sediment, with small waves moving sand onshore and spreading it over a wide area. Over weeks to months this onshore transport and deposition build up a broad, gently sloping beach with a wide berm—the swell profile. It reflects a steady, modest energy environment that shifts the cross-shore shape slowly rather than violently.

Storm conditions, by contrast, bring higher energy that erodes the beach and creates a steeper face and offshore bars, a storm profile. Longshore drift is the alongshore movement of sand, not a final beach shape, and beach nourishment is the artificial addition of sand to the shore, not a natural profile developed under calm waves.