Final answer:
To predict when two beaches will have the same width based on erosion patterns, one needs to study the effects of wave properties on sand and simulate different conditions in a wave tank. It's also helpful to analyze geological evidence such as sediment cores and landforms like dunes and ripple marks.
Step-by-step explanation:
To describe the patterns shown by the erosion data measurements for the beaches and predict when two beaches will have the same width, one would analyze the rate at which wave actions such as wavelength, period, frequency, and amplitude affect beach erosion. Higher amplitude and frequency waves tend to cause more erosion, as do waves breaking at higher wavelengths. To improve predictions, one can simulate various scenarios in a wave tank, creating waves with differing properties and altering beach steepness to observe the impact on erosion. When two beaches are eroding at different rates, calculating when they will have the same width requires gathering accurate measurements of their current widths and erosion rates, and then using mathematical models to predict future changes. Analysis of sediment cores and studying patterns such as onlapping and offlapping as seen in figures discussed, as well as the formation of ripple marks and dunes, can also provide insights into historical and future changes to beach widths due to erosion. Predictive modeling will need to account for both the physical wave characteristics and the geological evidence provided by sediment analysis.