Coastal landscapes as Systems

Question 1

What drives the coastal system?

Answer 1

Wave energy

Question 2

What type of system are coastal systems?

Answer 2

Open Systems - Energy and sediment are transferred in and out from neighbouring systems

Question 3

What is stored and transferred through a coastal system?

Answer 3

Energy

Sediment

Question 4

What are the inputs into Coastal Systems?

Answer 4

Energy & Sediment

Question 5

What are examples of Energy Inputs into coastal systems?

Answer 5

Kinetic energy e.g wind & waves

Thermal energy e.g the sun

Potential energy e.g from the position of Material on the slope

Question 6

What are the examples of Sediment inputs into Coastal systems?

Answer 6

Material from erosion, weathering and mass movement

Question 7

What are Processes in a Coastal system?

Answer 7

Erosion, transportation and deposition

Question 8

What are the Outputs in a coastal system?

Answer 8

Marine & Aeolian erosion

Question 9

What is equilibrium in the System?

Answer 9

Inputs = Outputs

Question 10

What happen when the Coastal system’s equilibrium is disturbed?

Answer 10

Self-regulation takes place

Question 11

How do wave types vary during summer vs winter?

Answer 11

Summer - constructive waves - Swash > Backwash

Winter - destructive waves - Backwash > Swash

Question 12

How is energy transferred during longshore drift?

Answer 12

The Aeolian energy from the wind transfers to the waves

Then the energy is transferred forwards until the wave breaks

This energy is the used for erosion or transportation

Question 13

How does the wind influence the Coastal landscape systems?

Answer 13

Wind is a source of energy for erosion and transportation

Energy of waves are dependent on the: strength of wind, the duration and the length of the fetch

Question 14

What is Fetch?

Answer 14

it is the distance to the next nearest land mass

so the distance a wave travels

Question 15

Why is wave height important & how do you calculate it?

Answer 15

Most important in determining wave energy

Question 16

Explain how breaking waves form

Answer 16

Water molecules have circular movement with forward movement of energy

As waves reach shallower waters they will slow due to friction with the sea floor

The wavelength decreases and successive waves will start to bunch up - The deepest part of the wave slows more than the top of the wave

The wave steepens as the crest advances ahead of the base - resulting in a breaking wave

Question 17

What is a spring tide?

Answer 17

It is when the moon, sun and Earth are all aligned resulting in a stronger gravitational pull

happens 2x a month

tidal range is longest

Question 18

How does the moon influence tides?

Answer 18

The moon pulls water towards it and creating a high tide

Question 19

What is tidal range?

Answer 19

The vertical difference between the high tide and the succeeding low tide

Question 20

What happens when tidal range is low?

Answer 20

wave action is restricted to a narrow area

smaller concentration of erosional processes

Often see shore platforms form

Question 21

What happens when the tidal range is higher?

Answer 21

the area of land exposed to the effect of the waves is much higher

Question 22

What is lithology?

Answer 22

The physical and chemical composition of rocks

Question 23

What are the 3 types of rocks?

Answer 23

Sedimentary

Igneous

Metamorphic

Question 24

How resistant are the different types of lithology?

Answer 24

Sedimentary - Low resistance to erosion, weathering and mass movement as the bonds are weak - e.g clay, limestone

Igneous/Metamorphic - High resistance to erosion, weathering and mass movement, with interlocking crystals e.g. basalts, slates.

Question 25

What is Concordant coastlines?

Answer 25

When there is the same rock type all the way along the coastline exposed and therefore eroded at the same rate

Question 26

What are Discordant coastlines?

Answer 26

When there are layers of soft and hard rock exposed to the coastline creating different rates of erosion

Question 27

How do ocean currents impact the coastal landscape?

Answer 27

They transfer heat energy around the world, which influences the climate and therefore weathering processes

Question 28

How does a rip current form?

Answer 28

It forms when 2 backwashes form to create and extra strong backwash pull on the sediment