Hawai‘i’s beaches and reefs are recognized around the world for their beauty; understanding the processes that shape them helps us preserve their splendor, which is an important motivation for research in this field. Coastal Geology studies within SOEST have a particular emphasis on nearshore processes, coastal sedimentation and erosion, remote sensing of reefs, geologic history of Hawaiian reefs, Pacific basin sea level history, and submarine landslides. Research also focuses on carbonate petrology and petrography to derive clues to past environmental changes as well as post-depositional geochemical changes to island limestones.