C - The Coastal System Flashcards
1
Q
what type of systems is the coast considered to be?
A
open system
2
Q
what are sediment cells?
A
- areas of shoreline that are separated by coastal landforms such as headlands
3
Q
what are the inputs in a coastal system?
A
- sediment
- energy
- waves
4
Q
what are the outputs in a coastal system?
A
- currents
- tides
- sediment leaving cell
- dissipation of wave energy
5
Q
what are the stores in a coastal environment?
A
- beach
- spit
- bar
- sand dune
- headlands and bays
- cave
- arch
- stack
- stump
- salt marshes
- offshore bands and bars
6
Q
what are the transfers in a coastal environment?
A
- waves
- wind
- longshore drift
- mass movement
- weathering
- erosion
7
Q
what are the sources of sediment? (explain them)
A
- rivers - sediment enters the system through streamflow
- cliff erosion - eroded cliff faces provide lots of sediment inputs
- longshore drift - carries sediment along the beach as a result of the prevailing wind
- wind - blows sand up or along the beach
- offshore - eroded offshore bars provide sediment for the coast
8
Q
give an example of a positive feedback loop in coastal systems
A
- tourists trample on vegetation
- leaves soil exposed
- wind blows it away
- roots can’t be supported by the sand in order to grow new vegetation
- leaves soil exposed again, and the wind blows it away
9
Q
give an example of a negative feedback loop in coastal environments
A
- destructive waves from a storm erode the beach
- eroded sediment gets deposited to form an offshore bar
- wave impact is absorbed by the bar and the waves that reach the beach are constructive
- this builds the beach up again
10
Q
what is the littoral zone?
A
