Discussion of ‘Coarse‐sand beach ridges at Cowley Beach,north‐eastern Australia: Their formative processes and potential as records of tropical cyclone history’ by Tamura et al. (2018), Sedimentology, 65, 721–744

The processes resulting in the formation of a coarse‐grained sand beach ridge plain at Cowley Beach, north‐east Australia have been questioned by Tamura et al. (2018). These authors now acknowledge the conclusions by Nott et al. (2009) and Nott (2014) that the dominant depositional mechanisms here are waves and inundations generated during tropical cyclones. The Tamura et al. (2018) new ground penetrating radar data highlights that scarping of incipient ridges is a common feature and occurs regularly under non‐storm conditions. The upper sedimentary units deposited during storms are not scarped and demonstrate the high preservation potential and usefulness of these deposits for reconstructing long‐term records of tropical cyclones. Tamura et al. (2018) question the robustness of the methodology used by Nott & Hayne (2001), Nott (2003) and Nott et al. (2009) in estimating the magnitude of the storms responsible for these sedimentary deposits. These supposed issues though have been dealt with in detail in a series of publications over the past nearly two decades. The shortcomings of the Tamura et al. (2018) criticisms are explained in detail here.