Coastal System Landscapes & Processes

Question 1

Hydraulic action

Answer 1

Waves crash rocks and compress the air in the cracks, adding pressure. Repeated compression widens the cracks and causes the rock to shatter

Question 2

Corrosion

Answer 2

Water dissolves minerals from the rocks and washes it away

Question 3

Abrasion

Answer 3

Eroded water particles scrape and rub against the rocks, removing small pieces

Question 4

Attrition

Answer 4

Eroded particles in water collide with each other and break into smaller fragments. This causes their edges to become rounded off as they rub together

Question 5

Wave-cut notches

Answer 5

Erosion occurs at the foot of a cliff,
creating a gap within the structure

Question 6

Wave-cut platforms

Answer 6

Narrow base left behind as the cliff
retreats

Question 7

Cave, arch, stack, stump

Answer 7

Caves, arches
and stacks form from eroded headlands (narrow piece of
land that projects from a coastline). As waves crash into
headlands, hydraulic action and abrasion causes
enlargement of cracks in rocks. Continued erosion deepens
cracks into caves which can eventually turn into arches.
When these arches collapse they form a stack of isolated rock. The base of the stack will in turn become eroded, and the stack will collapse into a stump

Question 8

Spit formation

Answer 8

Beaches which stick out into the sea. They form at sharp bends on coastlines where ​longshore drift​ transports sand and shingle past the bend and deposits it in the sea. Strong winds can curve the spit (called a recurved spit) and plants can grow bashing the spit where waves cannot reach

Question 9

Longshore drift

Answer 9

the movement of material along a coast by waves which approach at an angle to the shore due to the direction of the prevailing wind

Question 10

Bar formation

Answer 10

Forms when a spit joins two headlands together, cutting of the sea from the water trapped between the bar and the coastline. This forms a lagoon ( ​Barrier Beach​)

Question 11

Tombolo

Answer 11

A spit connected to the mainland, an example being Chesil Beach

Question 12

Cuspate foreland

Answer 12

Created by longshore drift where sand and shingle deposition
extends outward from the shoreline in a triangular shape

Question 13

Rotational scars

Answer 13

Material deposited from rotational slumping

Question 14

Eustatic sea change

Answer 14

occurs when ice on land melts and returns to the ocean, increasing the
volume of water present in the sea

Question 15

Isostatic sea change

Answer 15

occurs from the downward movement of land, causing localised sea level rise

Question 16

Emergent coastlines

Answer 16

raised beaches with fossil cliffs

Question 17

Submergent coastlines

Answer 17

rias, fjords and Dalmatian

Question 18

Sea floor spreading

Answer 18

Tectonic activity can cause ​sea floor spreading​, creating a larger platform for water to sit on. Tectonic activity also contributes to the shape of ocean basins

Question 19

Rate of recession depends on…

Answer 19

wind direction, tides, seasonality, weather systems, rock resistance and storm occurrence

Question 20

Coastal flooding in the Maldives

Answer 20

causes a loss of tourism, beaches, soil and freshwater whilst disrupting the fishing industry and damaging homes

Question 21

Climate change may cause extreme weather…

Answer 21

likely to cause an increase in extreme weather, the frequency and magnitude of storms whilst contributing to sea level rise

Question 22

Economic losses of coastal recession

Answer 22

Loss of housing, businesses, agricultural land, infrastructure

Question 23

Social losses of coastal recession

Answer 23

Relocation, livelihood loss, amenity value loss (Holderness coast)

Question 24

2007 Bangladesh floods

Answer 24

9 million people homeless and 1000 people died from drowning and water borne diseases. Bangladesh suffers from coastal flooding due to the occurrences of cyclones and heavy monsoon rains. Additionally the low lying land and deforestation increase flood risks. It is predicted that due to climate change, Bangladesh may become completely inundated by water in the future

Question 25

Rise in environmental refugees

Answer 25

Climate change may cause a​ ​rise in environmental refugees​ from coastal areas, such as those living in Bangladesh and Tuvalu (arguably the most likely countries to face severe flooding)

Question 26

Chesil cove storm damage

Answer 26

storm damage on Chesil Cove (UK) in February 2014 caused severe erosion, leaving the Kimmeridge clay bedrock exposed. The last time this happened was in 1989. The storm also forced the closure of the main A354 road, impacting businesses and locals. Following the, the sea wall was strengthened to avoid future losses