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Physical Geog > Coastal Landscapes And Systems > Flashcards

Coastal Landscapes And Systems Flashcards

1
Q

Definition= Geology

A

Rock type

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2
Q

High energy coastlines:

A

Where rocky coasts are generally found ( high energy environments). Erosional landforms such as headlands, cliffs, and shoreline platforms ( wave-cut platforms) tend to be found in these environments
- waves are powerful for much of the year
- the rate of erosion exceeds the rate of deposition

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3
Q

Low-energy coastlines:

A

Sandy and estuarine coasts are generally found in low-energy environments. Landforms such as beaches, spits and coastal plains tend to be found in these environments.
- stretches of the coast where waves are less powerful, or where the coast is sheltered from large waves
- where the rate of deposition exceeds the rate of erosion

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4
Q

Coastal system:

A

Inputs:
Marine- waves, tides, storm surges
Atmospheric- weather/climate, climate change, solar energy
Land- rock type and structure, tectonic activity
People- human activity, coastal management

Processes:
Weathering
Mass movement
Erosion
Transport
Deposition

Outputs:
Erosional landforms
Depositional landforms
Different types of coasts

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5
Q

Littoral zone:

A

The wider coastal zone including adjacent land areas and shallow parts of the sea just offshore (tides and storms affect a band around the coast)

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6
Q

Why does the littoral zone vary?

A

Short term factors:
Individual waves, daily tides and seasonal storms

Long term factors:
Changes to sea levels or climate change

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7
Q

Four zones that the literal zone is divided into:

A

Backshore:
This is the inland limit of the beach and the waves only reach this area during exceptionally high tides, usually above the influence of the waves

Foreshore:
This is the area between the high tide and the low tide mark

Nearshore:
The area of shallow water beyond the low tide mark, within which friction between the seabed and waves distor the wave sufficiently to cause it to break

Offshore:
The area of deeper water beyond the point at which waves begin to break. Friction between the waves and the sea bed may cause some distortion of the wave shape. ( beyond the influence of the waves)

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8
Q

Sub-Ariel processes:

A

Process of weathering and mass-movement

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9
Q

Factors that affect the coastline:

A
  • sub-ariel processes
  • marine processes
  • vegetation
  • geology
  • human management
  • climate
  • time
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10
Q

Sedimentary rocks:

A
  • formed in the sea, youngest
  • layered
  • made up of very small, old, decayed sea creatures and vegetation
  • tectonic plates lift the rock up/ brought to the surface as a result of falling sea levels
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11
Q

Metamorphic rocks:

A
  • made up as a result of great pressure, gets squashed by tectonic processes
  • rocks come out with very different properties
  • very hard, impermeable, resistant
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12
Q

Igneous rocks:

A
  • made from molten magma, cooled under earths surface
  • comes out in volcanic eruption
  • hardest rock and oldest
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13
Q

Lithology:

A

Refers to a rocks features, such as wether it is permeable ( allows water through) or soluble (dissolves), hard or soft and it’s texture. It is the general physical and chemical characteristics or structure of a rock or the rocks in a particular area

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14
Q

Strata:

A

Layers of rock

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15
Q

Bedding planes:

A

(Horizontal cracks) natural breaks in the strata caused by gaps in time during periods of rock formation

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16
Q

Joints:

A

(Vertical cracks) these are fractures, caused either by contraction as sediments dry out, or by earth movements during uplift

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17
Q

Folds:

A

Formed by pressure during tectonic activity, which makes rocks buckle and crumple

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18
Q

Faults:

A

Formed when the stress or pressure to which a rock is subjected, exceeds its internal strength (causing it to fracture) the faults then slip or move along fault panes

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19
Q

Dip:

A

Refers to the angle at which rock strata lie (horizontally, vertically, dipping towards the sea, or dipping inland)

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20
Q

Morphology:

A

Shape and form of coastal landscapes and their features, affected by geology and its geological structure (lithology)

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21
Q

Weathering:

A

Breaking up of decomposition of rocks in situ

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22
Q

Physical weathering:

A

Water expands when changed into ice, expansion puts pressure on the rock around it, fragments of rock break off
- salt weathering
- wetting and drying

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23
Q

Chemical weathering:

A

Weak acids in rainwater react with calcium carbonate in rocks, rocks break up or dissolve
- carbonation
- hydrolysis
- oxidation

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24
Q

Biological weathering:

A

Plants grow in cracks, roots break up rock, may cause cliff to collapse
- plant roots
- rock boring
- animals

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25
Q

Concordant coastlines:

A

Bands of more-resistant and less-resistant rock run parallel to the coast

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26
Q

Discordant coastlines:

A

Geology alternates between bands of more resistant and less-resistant rock, which run at right angles to the coast

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27
Q

Dalmatian coasts (concordant coastline):

A

Formed as a result of a rise in sea level, when sea level rises the ridges of valleys remain above the surface of the sea

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28
Q

Refraction:

A

-waves bend and change direction
- bays become more sheltered, headlands have full force of energy from the sea

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29
Q

Rate of cliff retreat depends on:

A
  • rock type
  • geological structure
  • wave power
  • fetch
  • weather/ seasons
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30
Q

Sediment supply:

A

Processes of weathering and erosion produce output in the form of sediment, which is transported and deposited to produce coastal landforms

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31
Q

Submergent coastline:

A

-flooded coastlines due to a rise in sea levels at that location
-the impact of a rise in sea-level
-marine transgression

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32
Q

Emergent coastlines:

A

-coastlines that are formed where water level has fallen or land has risen due to isostatic change eg. ice on top of land has melted
-impact of a fall in sea level
-marine regression

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33
Q

Mass movement:

A

The downward movement of material under the influence of gravity. It includes a wide range of processes

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34
Q

Factors mass movement depends on:

A
  • steepness of the slope
  • rock type (hard, soft)
  • water content
  • rock structure
  • the vegetation cover
35
Q

Soil creep:

A

-slowest form of mass movement, almost continuous
- slow downhill movement of individual soil particles

36
Q

Solifluction:

A
  • top layer of soil thaws in the summer, layer below remains frozen so surface flows over
37
Q

Earth flows/ mudflows:

A
  • material becomes jumbled up
  • causes earth and mud to flow over underlying bedrock
38
Q

Rockfalls:

A
  • material falls vertically from scree
39
Q

Debri/rock slides:

A
  • material remains intact
40
Q

Slump:

A
  • rotational movement
  • causes rotational scars
41
Q

Factors that cause storm surge:

A
  • high tides
  • strong onshore winds creating high levels of wave energy
  • low pressure weather systems allowing the sea to expand
42
Q

Beach morphology:

A

The shape of a beach (width, slope, features, sediment)

43
Q

Summer beach profile:

A
  • beaches are gentle
  • berms are built up
  • backwash is weaker
44
Q

Winter beach profile:

A
  • high frequency waves
  • berms eroded quickly
  • strong backwash transports sediment offshore
45
Q

How do spits form?

A

-shallow water
-sheltered
-calm

46
Q

How do recurved spits form?

A

-secondary wind direction
-stronger tidal current
-deeper sea

47
Q

Tombolo:

A

A spit joins the mainland to the island, formed due to wave refraction off an offshore island

48
Q

Bar:

A

Spit joins one part of the mainland to the other

49
Q

Features of Holderness Coast:

A

-Flamborough Head
-Spurn Head

50
Q

Holderness, Coastal erosion (geology):

A

-mostly consists of boulder clay
-it is structurally weak
-little resistance to erosion
-produces shallow sloping cliffs

51
Q

Boulder clay:

A

Mixture of fine clays, sands and boulders deposited by glaciers after the last ice age

52
Q

Structure of Flamborough Head:

A

-chalk band surrounds boulder clay inwards
-erosion along fault lines and bedding panes has created features (arch, stack, stump)

53
Q

Holderness, Coastal erosion (fetch):

A

-exposed to winds and waves from the north east
-small fetch of 500-800km
-sea floor is deep
-lower pressure weather systems and winter storms passing over the North Sea are often intense
-low pressure air weighs less, raising sea levels which can produce higher tides

54
Q

Holderness, Coastal erosion (Longshore drift and beach material):

A

-boulder clay erodes to produce mainly clay particles- easily transported out to sea in suspension, rather than building up on beaches
-narrow beaches, little friction to absorb wave energy
-longshore drift leaves cliffs poorly protected
-imbalance between input of sand and removal of sand on beaches

55
Q

Fetch:

A

How far the waves have travelled

56
Q

Flocculation:

A

Clay absorbs water- becomes light enough that. Sea can pick it up. Gives the sea a murky colour

57
Q

Advance the line (coastal managment)

A

A strategy to move the defence of an area seaward of its existing position

58
Q

(Coastal management) Do nothing:

A

When no coastal defence activity. Is carried out except for safety

59
Q

(Costal management) Hold the line:

A

A strategy to continue to hold the line of defence where it is

60
Q

(Coastal management) Retreat the line:

A

A strategy to encourage the movement of the shoreline involved of its present position in a managed or controlled manner

61
Q

(Coastal management) Tangible:

A

Where costs and benefits are known and can be given a monetary value

62
Q

(Coastal Management) Intangible:

A

Where costs may be difficult to assess but are important e.g. the visual impact of a defence

63
Q

Hard engineering:

A

This involves building artificial structures along the coasts (usually at the base of a cliff or on a beach) Trying to prevent the natural flows of erosion

64
Q

Soft engineering:

A

Designed to work with nature, limit the affects of any form or flooding or erosion

65
Q

Cost-benefit analysis:

A

Forecasting where the wether will be well spent or not. Costs are compared with the expected benefits

66
Q

Environmental impact assessment:

A

Carried out before any development proposals are approved. Assess potential problems and benefits

67
Q

Groynes:

A

-Wooden or rock structures
-right angles to the coast
-trap sediment being moved along the coast by longshore drift

68
Q

Sea walls:

A

-made of stone or concrete
-based at foot of cliff/ top of the beach
-curved face to reflect waves (energy) back into sea

69
Q

Rock armour:

A

-large rocks
-forms a permeable barrier to the sea- breaking up the waves, but allowing some water to pass through

70
Q

Breakwaters:

A

-partly submerged rock barrier
-breaks up waves before they reach the coast

71
Q

Beach Nourishment:

A

-addition of sand or pebbles to an existing beach
-sediment is usually dredged from the nearby seabed

72
Q

Dune regeneration:

A

-marram gras scan be panted to stabilise dunes

73
Q

Managed retreat:

A

-works with coastal zoning
-decision made to allow coast to erode

74
Q

Key players on Holderness coastline:

A

-central government agencies
-local government
-stakeholders in the local economy: tourism, farmers, residents,insurance companies
-environmental stakeholders: English nature, RSPB

75
Q

Storm surge:

A

A rising of the sea as a result of wind and atmospheric pressure changes associated with a storm

76
Q

Factors affecting vulnerability to coastal flooding:

A

Coastal plain
weather systems
river deltas
estuary
Subsidence
Reclamation
Removing vegetation
Removing sediment
Climate change

77
Q

Eustatic change:

A

-global scale
-sea level change caused by a change in the volume of water in the ocean store
-when the sea level itself rises or falls

78
Q

Isostatic change:

A

-local scale
-sea level change caused by a change in the level of the land relative to the level of the sea
-when the land rises or falls, relative to the sea

79
Q

Rias (landform of submergence)

A

-submerged river valleys
-lowest part of the rivers course and the floodplains alongside the river may be completely drowned, but the higher land forming the tops of The Valley side sand then middle and upper part of the rivers course remain exposed

80
Q

Fjords (landforms of submergence)

A

-submerged glacial valleys
-due to the effects of the glacial erosion which shaped the original landscapes, these features have very steep sides and the water in the fjords is very deep (can reach over 1000m in depth)

81
Q

Intergrated Coastal Zone Management

A

More holistic approach, includes all stakeholders with plans on how to promote sustainable management on coastlines

82
Q

Shoreline Management Plan

A

Aims to prevent any environmental disasters on the coastline and is mainly planned by local councils and the environmental agency

83
Q

Impervious

A

Allows water to flow through rock but only through joints/cracks. So not entirely permeable

Physical Geog (6 decks)

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