Coastal system Flashcards
Why are coasts considered an open system?
Receives input from outside and trasnfers outputs away and into other systems.
What is a sediment cell?
A section within the coast bordered by headlands. Considered a closed system as movement is contained within.
What is an example of an input?
Waves, tides, air, sun, wind speed
What is an example of an output?
Currents, riptides, sediment transfer
What is an example of a store?
Salt marshes, sand dunes, spits, bars
What is an example of a transfer?
Windblown sand, longshore drift, weathering
What is an example of energy?
Wind, flowing water, gravity
What is dynamic equilibrium
A balance that can change
example of positive feedback
- waves erode cliff
- material abrades the cliff which results in more cliff erosion
example of negative feedback
- shore is eroded, material makes the wave cut platform wider
- this absorbs wave energy and reduce the impact at the base of the cliff
What is the swash zone
upper part, turbulent layer, water after the wave has broken that swashes up the beach
Breaker zone
waves break on the shoreline, area on the otherside of nearshore where the wave breaks
nearshore
between HWM and where the waves start to crash on the zone
backshore
area highest up in the coastal zone between the high water mark and landward limit of marine activity
foreshore
area from the HWM to the LWM. Most important zone for marine processes in times not affected by storm activity
