A pocket beach is usually a small beach that is isolated between two headlands. There is typically very little or no exchange of

sediment Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand an ...

between the pocket beach and adjacent shorelines. Pocket beaches can be natural or artificial. Many natural pocket beaches exist throughout the world. Artificial pocket beaches are usually constructed in areas where natural beaches are fairly narrow or absent. Examples of artificial pocket beaches include over 100 such systems on

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, each consisting of several individual pocket beaches; the Fisher Key,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

project constructed on a dredge spoil island originally consisting of cobble dredge material; and the Fred Howard Park Beach that was constructed offshore of a muddy mangrove shoreline. Additionally, there have been many pocket beaches constructed in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

where resorts have been developed along rocky shorelines with minimal natural beaches.

Sources

NOAA -- Beach Nourishment with Emphasis on Geological Characteristics Affecting Project Performance
Coastal geography Beaches {{topography-stub