Coastal Landscapes Flashcards
What is Abrasion?
Rocks carried along a wave wear down coastline
What is attrition?
rocks carried by river smash together and break into smaller,smoother and rounded particles
What is hydraulic action?
where pockets of air in cracks pressure causes crack to widen breaking off rock
what is saltation?
hopping movement of pebbles along a sea bed
what is solution?
the dissolving of rocks such as chalk
what is suspension?
small particles carried in sea water
what is traction?
heavy particles rolled along sea bed
what is beach nourishment
adding new material to beach artificially through dining large amounts of sand
what is coastal realignment
establishment of new coastland as a managed,retreat allows flooding over low lying land eg protect settlements
what is concordant coastline?
straight coastline with a single rock running parallel
what is a constructive wave?
powerful wave with strong awash surging up beach
what is destructive waves?
waves formed by local storm that crashes onto a beach with a powerful backwash
What is a discordant coastline?
an indented coastline made up of headlands and bays
what is biological weathering?
caused by flora and fauna when plant roots grow into cracks or animals burrow into rocks
What is chemical weathering?
the decomposition of rocks caused by chemical change
freeze thaw weathering?
repeated cycles of freezing and thawing that makes cracks in rock bigger
What is longshore drift?
transport of sediment along a stretch of coastline caused by waves approaching beach at an angle
What is marram grass?
type of grass adapted to windy conditions and is used in coastal management
what is adaptation?
actions to adjust to natural events reduce damage and limit impact to cope with consequences
what is erosion?
wearing away and removal of material by a moving force
what is weathering?
deterioration of rocks,soils and minerals through contact with water,gases and biological organisms
what is the fetch?
distance of open water over which the wind can blow
what is mass movement?
downhill movement of weathered material under gravity
what is deposition?
when material transported is dropped due to sea losing energy
what is transportation
movement of eroded material
what is the trough?
base of a wave
what is wave height?
vertical distance from trough to crest
what is wave frequency?
number of waves breaking per minute
what is wave length?
horizontal distance between two crests
what is the crest?
top of the wave