Which beach profile is associated with calm, low-energy waves of summer?

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

Answer: (A)

Calm, low-energy summer waves produce a swell-dominated beach profile. With gentler, longer-period waves, sediment slowly settles nearshore and is spread across a wide, gently sloping face, creating a broad berm and few pronounced offshore features. This contrasts with a storm profile, which forms under high-energy conditions and results in a steeper, narrower beach with more pronounced offshore bars due to stronger erosion and sediment transport. Longshore drift describes alongshore movement of sand, not the cross-shore beach shape, and beach nourishment is a human-caused addition of sand, not a natural beach profile. Therefore, the profile associated with calm, low-energy waves is the swell profile.