Feeder bluff

A Feeder bluff is a coastal cliff or headland that, through erosion and weathering, provides sediment to down-current beaches as a result of littoral drift.

[1] A bluff will be more susceptible to weathering and erosion if it contains unconsolidated sediment (such as silt or sand), softer (or more erodible) rock, fissures or fractures.

Although coastal processes can be complex, feeder bluffs are recognized as an important source of sediment for building and maintaining nearby beaches.

[2] One of the goals of the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project is to reverse this process by identifying and removing bulkheads from beaches and bluffs.

[3] In 2013 the Washington State Department of Ecology completed mapping and categorization of feeder bluffs in the Puget Sound, finding they make up about 426 Miles (17%) of the shoreline.