The wind.
Nono don't play with my heart
The water current that moves sand in a zigzag pattern along a beach is called a longshore current. It is caused by waves breaking at an angle to the shoreline, creating a flow of water parallel to the coast that carries sand particles in a back-and-forth motion.
it is the water currents dragging in seaweed plants and other things.
A grain of sand can be described as rolling, sliding, or shifting as it moves along a surface.
Sand gets transported along a beach primarily through longshore drift, where waves approach the shore at an angle and carry sediment parallel to the coastline. Additionally, tides and currents can also contribute to the movement of sand along a beach.
longshore drift
It erodes the sand then forms a sandbar and moves the sand down the beach
The movement of sand along a beach is known as littoral drift or longshore drift. This process occurs as waves approach the shore at an angle, causing sand to be transported along the coastline in a zigzag pattern. It plays a crucial role in shaping beach profiles and influencing coastal ecosystems.
As the waves move over the sand, they stir it up and some of it becomes entrained in the water. As the waves retreat, they take some sand with them. The water mixes out away from the beach with other water and then when it flows back up onto the beach, it doesn't land in quite the same place that it did the first time. On average, the water is moving in one direction parallel to the beach, so the entrained sand gradually moves in that direction too - thus sand bars migrate down rivers and ocean beach sand moves up the coast (or down depending on the prevailing currents).
often salt or potassium in other cases
The primary force responsible for moving sand along a beach is wave action, particularly the swash and backwash generated by breaking waves. As waves approach the shore, they carry sand up the beach (swash), and then gravity pulls it back down (backwash). Additionally, prevailing wind patterns can also contribute to the movement of sand, especially in shaping dunes and beach profiles. Together, these processes create a dynamic system that redistributes sand along the coastline.
umm...Sand..Rocks...water..