coastal landscapes

Question 1

Hydraulic Power

Answer 1

The force exerted by waves as they crash against cliffs, causing erosion and breakdown of the rock.

Question 2

Abrasion

Answer 2

The process by which waves pick up and hurl rock fragments against the bed, beach, or cliffs, wearing them away.

Question 3

Attrition

Answer 3

The process by which bedload materials collide with each other, causing them to break apart and become smaller and more rounded.

Question 4

Corrosion

Answer 4

The chemical reaction between seawater, which contains a weak acid, and susceptible rocks like limestone, leading to their gradual dissolution.

Question 5

Coastal Classification

Answer 5

Coasts are dynamic landscapes influenced by long and short-term factors such as geology and vegetation.

Question 6

The Littoral Zone

Answer 6

The littoral zone is a series of sub-zones that represent the features of the wider coastline from sea to land.

Question 7

Sub-zones of the Littoral Zone

Answer 7

The littoral zone includes four key sub-zones: offshore, nearshore, foreshore, and backshore.

Question 8

Dynamic Equilibrium

Answer 8

The littoral zone reaches dynamic equilibrium when there is a balance between inputs and outputs.

Question 9

Sediment

Answer 9

Sediment is the key input and output of the coastal system, influenced by the action of waves, currents, and wind.

Question 10

High Energy Coasts

Answer 10

-destructive waves
-long fetches
-high rates of erosion
-landforms such as caves, arches, stacks, stumps, and cliffs
-wave-cut platforms

Question 11

Low Energy Coasts

Answer 11

*constructive waves
*shorter fetches
*higher rates of deposition
*landforms such as spits, bars, beaches, sand dunes, and salt marshes.

Question 12

Eustatic Sea-Level Change

Answer 12

Eustatic sea-level change refers to global changes in sea level caused by factors such as melting ice caps and thermal expansion of seawater.

Question 13

Isostatic Sea-Level Change

Answer 13

Isostatic sea-level change refers to local changes in sea level caused by the vertical movement of the Earth’s crust, such as uplift or subsidence.

Question 14

Coastal Erosion

Answer 14

Coastal erosion is the wearing away of land and the removal of sediment by the action of waves, currents, and other coastal processes.

Question 15

Coastal Deposition

Answer 15

Coastal deposition is the process by which sediment is dropped or deposited along the coastline, forming landforms such as beaches, spits, and bars

Question 16

Coastal Management

Answer 16

Coastal management refers to the strategies and techniques used to protect and manage the coastline, including hard engineering (e.g., sea walls) and soft engineering (e.g., beach nourishment).

Question 17

Coastal Landforms

Answer 17

Coastal landforms are the physical features that result from the interaction between land and sea, such as cliffs, caves, beaches, dunes, and estuaries.

Question 18

Dalmatian Coasts

Answer 18

-found along the eastern Adriatic Sea, specifically in Croatia
-they run parallel to the mainland, creating a distinctive pattern of bays, channels, and lagoons
-The islands act as natural barriers, protecting the mainland from the full force of the waves and creating a relatively calm and sheltered coastal environment.

Question 19

Discordant Coastlines

Answer 19

-alternating bands of hard and soft rock at a 90-degree angle to the coast
-Erosional landforms are more common on discordant coastlines due to differential rates of erosion along their length
-e.g Dorset, where the coastline consists of Portland limestone and Greensands –> Greensands, less resistant to erosion, retreats at a faster rate than the Portland limestone, resulting in the formation of a bay and headlands.