AO2 Flashcards
Why is longshore drift an important factor in the development of a spit?
- transports sediment in one direction along the coastline
- without this, there would be no sediment transported to the spit so no deposition could occur
Why is a supply of sediment an important factor in the development of a spit?
- for longshore drift to occur, sediment has to be eroded from somewhere in the first place
- eg soft boulder clay in Holderness
What factors impact the development of a spit?
- longshore drift
- change in shape of coastline
- sediment supply
- deposition
Why are feedback systems important in coastal management?
- management aims to restore balance
- this cannot be effectively dione without understanding the natural system and how it will respond
- management could exploit the concept of negative feedback and counteract the effect of positive feedback
Why is rock type an important factor affecting erosional landforms?
- the resistance of the rock determines the rate of erosion
- more resistant rocks form headlands which over time can lead to landforms
- this could not happen if the rock was not resistant, as less resistant rocks erode rapidly and lead to bays
Why is wave energy an important factor affecting erosional landforms?
- strong , destructive waves are needed to erode rocks (especially if resistant)
- if waves aren’t high energy, no erosion will occur
What factors affect erosional landforms?
- sub-aerial processes
- wave energy (therefore, fetch, wind etc)
- geology
What are the major impacts of climate change on the coastal landscape?
- sea level rise and therefore more significant erosion
- flooding
- damaged habitats
How could the habitats at Holderness be damaged by climate change?
- flooding and erosion
- damage the SSSI Spurn Point
- sea levels rising up to 0.4m in 50 years
Why might climate change not significantly impact the landscape at Holderness?
- coastline already moved 15 to 20km West since formation 10,000 years ago - is climate change really that significant? Will it change anyway?
Why is deposition important in saltmarsh development?
- river loses energy as it meets the tide
- flocculation and deposition occur in this low energy environment
- very important as it provides the sediment needed for the landform to develop as well as for colonisation to occur
Why is vegetation an important factor in salt marsh environments?
- salt marshes develop when vegetation colonises mudflat
- traps more sediment which is what enables the landform to be built up
Why are tides important in the development in mudflats?
- without incoming tide, sediments would continue downstream
- no deposition without incoming tide
Why are physical factors important in shaping the Sundarbans?
- Ganges delta
- low-lying and vulnerable to flooding
Why are human factors important in shaping the Sundarbans?
- population pressures (links to future issues)
- global scale issues such as anthropogenic climate change and eustatic sea level rise
- leads to high salinity (links to water abstraction)
- this impacts the biodiversity and coastline
