Ocean currents
The movement of ocean currents is responsible for the movement of material from one part of the ocean to another and eventually to the beach.
Gradient of the shore
As the waves break on the cliffs along the steep coasts, the materials they merely bounce off the cliff and remain floating on water. These materials tend to oscillate in the same place until the wave changes direction. On gentle coasts the transportation of materials by longshore drift is favoured especially where the waves approach the coast at an oblique angle. When the waves break, the swash and backwash drags the material along the beach
Orientation of the coastline
When the coastline is aligned obliquely to the direction of the breaking waves, the transportation of materials by longshore drift will be favoured. Where the coastline lies transverse to the direction of the waves, the waves move the material back and forth on the beach along the same line.
Waves
The strength of the wave and therefore its strength can be determined over the wind blowing over the fetch. Strong winds produce powerful waves while light winds produce weak waves. When waves are strong, they can carry large quantities and varieties of materials over long distances. Weak waves can only move the materials over short distance along the shore.
Faimus answered the question on January 14, 2018 at 12:20
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