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Edexcel Geography Paper 1 > Coastal Landscapes and Processes > Flashcards

Coastal Landscapes and Processes Flashcards

1
Q

The coastline is where…

A

land meets the sea

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2
Q

Coastal erosion involves the action of..

A

waves wearing away the rocks along the coastline and removing the coastal sediments

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3
Q

What are the four main processes of coastal erosion?

A
  1. hydraulic action
  2. abrasion
  3. solution
  4. attrition
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4
Q

hydraulic action

A

when waves crash against the cliff, the impact, force and weight of the water against the rocks wears away the rocks

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5
Q

What does hydraulic action also do to joints and faults in the rock

A

compresses air into the joints and faults, causing pressure to build and loose rocks to be dislodged

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6
Q

As the waves retreat in hydraulic action, what happens to the rock

A

the compressed air is released, often explosively, causing the rock to weaken further

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7
Q

Abrasion

A

fragments of rock, pebbles and sand are picked up by the waves and thrown against the cliff face, causing pieces of rock to break off

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8
Q

Solution

A

chemical action on rocks by seawater.

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9
Q

What is solution most effective on?

A

limestone rocks, in which calcium is dissolved and carried away in solution

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10
Q

Attrition

A

rock fragments and pebbles carried by the waves are reduced in side as they collide against each other and the cliff face

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11
Q

During attrition, the rocks are eventually broken down eventually into…

A

sand-sized particles, which are more easily transported by waves

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12
Q

What is weathering

A

the break down of rocks at or near to the surface of the ground

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13
Q

What are the three key weathering processes?

A
  1. mechanical (freeze thaw)
  2. chemical (acid rain)
  3. biological
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14
Q

Mechanical / freeze-thaw

A
  • repeated freezing + thawing of water in a crack or hole in a the rock
  • water expands by 10 % when frozen -> stresses within the rock
  • ice melts, water seeps deeper into the rock along the deepened crack
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15
Q

chemical weathering

A

rainwater-slightly acidic

-when rain falls on rocks such as limestone and chalk, a weak chemical reaction takes place

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16
Q

Biological weathering

A

the roots of growing plants can widen cracks in rocks + burrowing animals and nesting birds on cliff faces

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17
Q

What is mass movement

A

the down slope movement of rocks and soil from the cliff top under the influence of gravity

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18
Q

What are rock falls?

A

when pieces of rock from a weathered cliff fall

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19
Q

When does rock falls occur?

A

as the rock at the base of the cliff has been undercut by the actions of the waves, leaving the rock above unsupported and causing it to collapse

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20
Q

When does slumping often occur?

A

after long periods of rainfall

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21
Q

What happens in slumping

A

The rain seeps through permeable rocks such as sandstone

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22
Q

At the junction where the permeable rock meets an impermeable rock such as clay, how does slumping happen?

A

the saturated soil and weaker rock slumps and slides in a rotational manner along a curved surface

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23
Q

How is sliding different to slumping?

A

the movement of material occurs along a flat surface; usually a bedding plane

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24
Q

In sliding, large amounts of…

A

soil and rock move down slope rapidly and can cause a lot of damage

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25
What are the three types of mass movement?
rock falls slumping sliding
26
What are the four types of transportation
traction saltation suspension solution
27
what is longshore drift?
the transport of sand and pebbles along the coast by waves
28
What is traction
large boulders are rolled along the seabed by waves
29
What is saltation
small boulders are bounced
30
What is suspension?
sand grains are carried
31
What is solution
carries dissolved lime from limestone and chalk rocks
32
When does deposition occur?
when there is not enough energy to carry the eroded materials any further
33
How are waves generated?
wind blowing over the sea
34
What does the friction with the wind and the surface of the water cause?
ripples to form, which grow into waves
35
Height and energy of waves are determined by..
1. wind and strength 2. wind duration 3. fetch
36
What is fetch?
the distance of open water over which the wind has been blowing
37
How does a longer fetch affect the power of the wave?
the more powerful wave
38
What is wind duration?
the length of time the wind has been blowing
39
The stronger the wind...
the greater the friction on the surface of the sea- the bigger the wave
40
As a wave approaches the shore, what happens to the base of the wave?
slowed by friction with the sea bed, but the upper part continues to travel forward
41
The water that surges up the beach until it runs out of energy is called what?
swash
42
The water that then runs back down the beach under gravity is called what?
backwash
43
What are the two types of wave that move towards the coast?
destructive waves and constructive waves
44
How are destructive waves formed?
by strong winds that have blown over large fetch areas
45
What are the features of destructive waves
tall and steep | closely spaced and break frequently
46
In destructive waves, the _____ is much stronger than the ____
backwash | swash
47
Having a stronger backwash means that...
rocks, pebbles and sand are carried back out to sea
48
When beaches form due to destructive waves, what are their characteristics?
they tend to be narrower and steep and offer cliffs little in the way of protection as they cannot absorb much of the wave energy
49
How are constructive waves formed?
light winds
50
What are the features of constructive waves?
- less energy + encourages deposition | - low in height + widely spaced, breaking gently
51
In constructive waves, the ___ is stronger than the _____
i) swash | ii) backswash
52
Having a stronger swash means...
that more material is carried up the beach than is removed
53
When beaches form due to constructive waves, what are their characteristics?
- wide and shallow | - help to protect the cliffs from erosion as the wave energy is absorbed by the beach
54
In discordant coasts, the bands of resistant and less resistant rocks run at what angle to the coastline?
right angles
55
In concordant coasts, the bands of resistant and less resistant rocks run at what angle to the coastline?
parallel
56
How are bays formed?
softer rocks erodes at a faster pace and therefore retreats inland
57
How are headlands formed?
harder rock erodes at a slower pace and therefore sticks out to sea
58
Headlands and bays are formed on discordant or concordant coastlines?
discordant
59
What is a wave cut notch
when waves attack the base of the cliff, cutting out a notch. As this continues the cliff becomes undercut and the unsupported cliff above will collapse
60
How are wave cut platforms formed?
As cliffs retreat, the waves leave a gently sloping rocky area. This is covered at high tide but visible at low tide
61
How are caves created?
lines of weakness increase in size due to erosion and weathering
62
How is an arch formed?
When there are 2 caves back into each other in a headland
63
How is a stack formed?
Gravity causes the roof of the arch to collapse
64
How is a stump formed?
stacks are attacked by erosion and collapse
65
What happens after a stump is formed?
stumps are attacked by erosion and eventually erode below sea level
66
How is sediment moved along the coast?
-Longshore drift moves sediment along the coastline
67
What is longshore drift?
- A prevailing wind hits the shore at a 45 degree angle and waves (swash) follow this angle taking the sediment with it. - Waves move back out to sea at 90 degree angle due to gravity )backwash taking sediment with it. - zig zag motion along the coastline
68
What is swash
When a wave breaks, water is washed up the beach.
69
What is backswash
When water runs back down the beach
70
How is a sand spit formed
The process of longshore drift transports sediment along the coast until there is a change in direction of land. - Here the sand is deposited, leaving a ridge (spit) - when winds change direction so too does the shape of the spit, often curving
71
How is a bar formed
The process of lsd transports sediment along the coast until there is a bay or river mouth. Sand is deposited leaving a ridge (the same as a spit) but this time it cuts off the bay/mouth trapping fresh water behind it
72
What are the causes of rising sea levels?
- global warming - temps increase ice sheets melting - adding water to oceans - thermal expansion - temps rising, causing further increases in sea level rise
73
What are the effects of rising sea levels?
1. Cliffs- are undercut and collapsing - will continue to retrate a faster rate-> position of wave cut notch and platform changing 2. Areas of softer, less resistant rock will experience faster rates of erosion and coastal retreat
74
What are the causes of storms and storm surges?
- low pressure weather systems and gale force winds | - combination forces water upwards and inland causing damage
75
What are storms or storm surges?
large-scale increase in sea levels in hours or days
76
What are the effects of storms and storm surges?
-As sea levels rush inland, flood defenses can be overwhelmed causing death, damage to buildings and land flooded
77
Human causes of coastal erosion?
1. building coastal defences e.g. groynes 2. Dredging 3. Protection of sea cliffs
78
What do groynes do?
trap sand in one area but causes further erosion along the coastline
79
What does dredging do?
removes sand from the sea bed and can be used for building however causes further erosion soon afterwards
80
How may protecting sea cliffs cause erosion?
recurved sea wall reduces sediment into the system and causes further erosion along the coastline
81
What are the human effects of coastal erosion?
- settlements - tourism - agriculture - infrastructure
82
Explain how erosion affect settlements
over 200 million people live on the coastline with many settlements being lost in recent years
83
Explain how erosion affect tourism
huge role in local economies, if areas are lost, the impact would be negative for locals
84
Explain how erosion affect agriculture
sea level rise is causing huge areas of farmland to be lost leading to financial lost
85
Explain how erosion affect infrastructure
roads, railways, ports and oil refineries are located at the coast. Losses here could cause major problems
86
What are the Shoreline Management Plans (SMP)?
Areas of the coast are split into seconds to make the management of the areas easier. Areas can choose to put in one of four policies.
87
What are the policies of SMP?
1. No intervention 2. Hold the line 3. Managed Realignment 4. Advance the line
88
what is meant by no intervention
allowing nature to take its course
89
What is meant by holding the line?
maintaining existing coast by building coastal defences
90
what is meant by managed realignment
allow nature to take its course but direct the process
91
What is meant by advance the line
build new defences
92
What is soft engineering?
using natural materials to protect the coastline or allowing nature to take its course
93
Give two examples of soft engineering for coastal management
Beach replenishment and sand dune regeneration
94
What is beach replenishment?
adding sand or shingle to the beach, usually through dredging
95
What is sand dune regeneration?
grasses, bushes and trees planted to stabilise the dunes
96
Adv of beach replenishment?
- attracts tourism | - absorbs more wave energy
97
dis adv of beach replenishment?
expensive to maintain | -summer work affects tourism
98
Adv of sand dune regeneration
- cheap | - creates habitats
99
Disadv of sand dune regeneration?
- vegetation takes time to grow | - access to dunes are limited
100
What is hard engineering?
Using man-made structures (usually concrete) to protect the coastline
101
What are two examples of hard engineering for coastal management
1. sea wall | 2. groynes
102
What are sea walls?
concrete wall built at the foot of cliffs to reflect the waves back out to sea
103
Adv of sea wall?
effective at stopping sea | -includes a promenade
104
Disadv. of sea wall?
very expensive | -unsightly
105
What are groynes?
wooden or rock structures built out to sea to trap sand from longshore drift
106
What are the adv of groynes
- quick construction | - bigger beach=tourism inc.
107
disadv of groynes?
unsightly | -causes erosion down the coast

Edexcel Geography Paper 1 (4 decks)

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