Advanced Physical Facts/Small Case Study Detail - Coasts

Question 1

Erosion in Southern Nigeria (Laos) (2)

Answer 1

• Breakwaters and jetty to provide a deepwater channel for large ships
• Interrupted west-east LSD > 70m/yr erosion > beach replenishment since 1976

Question 2

Changes in part of the Oceanside littoral cell, southern California (1)

Answer 2

• Irregular and variable river supplies have been further reduced by 33% due to dam construction

Question 3

Human activity and longshore drift in West Africa (3)

Answer 3

• The increase in coastal retreat has been blamed on the construction of the Akosombo Dam on the Volta River in Ghana.
• Lome, Togo, protected by 1300m breakwater, which obstructs the natural flow of the Guinea Current from west to east > 1984, a 100 metre stretch of the main Ghana-Benin highway was destroyed in just 24 hrs.
• Accra eroding at up to 6m per year, whereas other areas have retreated by up to 30m per year > cost to protect coastline/km is £1-2 million

Question 4

Shore platform example

Answer 4

Kaikoura peninsula, NZ - average rate of platform lowering is 1.4mm per year because high energy waves break earlier

Question 5

Compound recurved spit

Answer 5

Sandy Hook, New Jersey

Question 6

Bar

Answer 6

Low Bar in Cornwall, UK

Question 7

Tombolo

Answer 7

Chisel Beach - 25km long

Question 8

Cuspate foreland

Answer 8

Dungeness near Dover in the UK, where the foreland forms the seaward edge of Romney Marsh

Question 9

Offshore bar

Answer 9

Off the coast of the Carolinas in SE USA.

Question 10

Barrier beach

Answer 10

300 islands along the east and southern coasts of the USA.

Question 11

Mangroves

Answer 11

In the estuary of the Ganges-Brahmaputra and Mekong, little wave action.

Question 12

Ria

Answer 12

River Fal

Question 13

Fjord

Answer 13

Oslo Fjord

Question 14

Raised beaches

Answer 14

Portland raised beach

Question 15

Coastal plains

Answer 15

SE USA

Question 16

Relict cliffs

Answer 16

Along the Fall Line in eastern USA

Question 17

Raised mudflats

Answer 17

Carselands of the River Forth