Coastal system

Question 1

What kind of system is the coast

Answer 1

An open system

Question 2

Name an input, process and output of the coast

Answer 2

1. Wind, Waves, Sediment
2. Erosion, transportation, deposition
3. Coastal landforms

Question 3

What are the 4 coastal zones

Answer 3

Backshore
Foreshore
Inshore
Offshore

Question 4

What 3 zones is nearshore split into

Answer 4

1. Swash zone - waves rush up beach
2. Surf zone - area between where waves break and where they rush up beach (usually fizzing water)
3. Breaker zone - area where waves begin to break

Question 5

What are the 3 kinds of feedback in a system

Answer 5

Dynamic equilibrium (when inputs and outputs are equal there is no change)

Negative feedback (tries to return system back to normal)

Positive feedback (amplifies change in a system)

Question 6

Give an example of a negative feedback cycle

Answer 6

Sediment is eroded during a storm and deposited forming an offshore bar.

Waves are now forced to break earlier and therefore have less power to erode. As the storm calms normal wave conditions return the sediment

Beach is in dynamic equilibrium

Question 7

Give an example of a positive feedback cycle

Answer 7

An increase in wave energy deepens the sea bed. The deeper the seabed, the more wave energy, which further deepens the seabed and the cycle goes on.

Question 7

Why is it important to study the coastal system

Answer 7

50% of the worlds population live along the worlds coastal plain