1.a. Coastal landscapes can be viewed as systems Flashcards
What is a landscape
The visible features (landforms) of an area of the Earth’s surface
What is a system
A group of objects and the relationships between them
What does kinetic mean
The capacity to do work as a result of motion
What does potential mean
The capacity to do work that a body possesses by virtue of its position and that is potentially transformable into another form of energy
What does thermal mean
The capacity to do work as a result of heat
What does geomorphic mean
Relating to the formation and shaping of landforms and landscapes by natural processes
What is a nearshore zone
This is the area of coastal environment between mean high tide and mean low tide
What is an open system
This is a type of system whose boundaries are open to both inputs and outputs of energy and matter
What is an input
This is an addition of material and/or energy to a system
What is an output
The transfer of material and/or energy out of a system
What is deposition
The laying down of sediment trasnported by rivers, waves, glaciers and wind, as energy levels decline
What is weathering
The breakdown of rocks exposed at, or near, the land surface by physical, checmical and biological processes
What is mass movement
The downslope transportation of material under gravity
What is erosion
The weathering away and/or removal of rock and other material by a moving force
What is evaporation
The process by which liquid water is converted into a gaseous state
What is longshore drift
The movement of sediment by waves and currents along a coastline
What is equilibrium
A long term balance between the inputs and outputs of a system
What is dynamic equilibrium
A system displaying unrepeated average states through time
What is negative feedback
An automatic response to change in a system that restores equilibrium
What is a sediment cell
A stretch of coastline and its associated nearshore area within which the movement of sediment, sand and shingle is largely self-contained
What is a closed system
A system with inputs and outputs of energy, but without any movement of material across system boundaries
Is the coast an open or closed system?
The coast is an open system, meaning that energy and mateter can cross the boundary of the system to the surrounding environment. The coast is shaped by a comination of kinectic, potential and thermal energy which allows for geomorphic processes to take place and shape coastal landscapes.
Where is the majority of material found in coastal landscapes
Beaches, estuaries and in the shallow nearshore zone
What are the components of open sustems
Inputs (wind, waves, thermal and sediment), Stores (beaches and nearshore sediment), Throughputs-transfers (longshore drift), Outputs (marine and wind erosion)
What happens when a systems inputs and outputs are equal
When a systems inputs and outputs are equal, it is in a state of equilibrium. However coasts are dynamic and the equilibrium is often disturbed, resulting in dynamic equilibrium
What happens when changes affect the balance of the system
The system adjusts by a process of feedback, which can either be positive (an initial change brining about further change in the same direction) or negative (the system is returned to its normal functioning). In coasts, a change may be landslides, storms or human activity
How many sediment cells are there in England and Wales
11!
What are sub-cells
Sub cells are part of a larger cell e.g. the Flamborough Head-Humber Estuary cell is part of the larger Flamborough Head-The Wash cell
Are sediment cells open or closed systems
Sediment cells are regarded as closed systems however it’s unlikely they’re truly closed systems. This is because variations in wind direction and tidal currentts will move sediment between the different cells
Name two exaples of sediment cells
Land’s end-prevent sediment from being transferred to an ajoining cell (natural barrier). The Thames-key input of sediment into the two cells in separates
