Coastal Systems and landscapes

Question 1

Define erosion:

Answer 1

The wearing away of the Earth’s surface by the
mechanical action of processes of glaciers, wind, rivers,
marine waves and wind

Question 2

Define fetch

Answer 2

Refers to the distance of open water over which
a wind blows uninterrupted by major land obstacles. The
length of fetch helps to determine the magnitude (size)
and energy of the waves reaching the coast.

Question 3

Define Mass movement:

Answer 3

The movement of material downhill
under the influence of gravity, but may also be assisted
by rainfall

Question 4

Define weathering:

Answer 4

The breakdown and/or decay of rock at or
near the Earth’s surface creating regolith that remains in situ
until it is moved by later erosional processes. Weathering
can be mechanical, biological/organic or chemical.

Question 5

Define backwash:

Answer 5

The action of water receding back down the
beach towards the sea.

Question 6

Define constructive waves:

Answer 6

Waves with a low wave height,
but with a long wavelength and low frequency of around
6–8/min. Their swash tends to be more powerful than
their backwash and as a consequence beach material is
built up

Question 7

Define destructive waves:

Answer 7

Waves with a high wave height
with a steep form and high frequency (10–14/min). Their
swash is generally stronger than their backwash, so more
sediment is removed than is added.

Question 8

Define swash:

Answer 8

The rush of water up the beach after a wave breaks.

Question 9

Define longshore or littoral drift:

Answer 9

Where waves approach
the shore at an angle and swash and backwash then
transport material along the coast in the direction of the
prevailing wind and waves.

Question 10

Define wave refraction:

Answer 10

When waves approach a coastline
that is not a regular shape, they are refracted and
become increasingly parallel to the coastline. The overall
effect is that the wave energy becomes concentrated on
the headland, causing greater erosion. The low-energy
waves spill into the bay, resulting in beach deposition.

Question 11

Define tides:

Answer 11

The periodic rise and fall of the level of the sea in
response to the gravitational pull of the sun and moon

Question 12

Define coastal sediment budget:

Answer 12

The balance between
sediment being added to and removed from the coastal
system, that system being defined within each individual
sediment cell.

Question 13

Define High energy coast:

Answer 13

A coastline where strong, steady
prevailing winds create high energy waves and the rate of
erosion is greater than the rate of deposition

Question 14

Define low energy coast:

Answer 14

A coastline where wave energy is
low and the rate of deposition often exceeds the rate of
erosion of sediment.

Question 15

Define sediment cell:

Answer 15

A distinct area of coastline separated
from other areas by well-defined boundaries, such as
headlands and stretches of deep water.

Question 16

Define marine processes:

Answer 16

Operate upon a coastline and are connected with the sea, such as waves, tides, and longshore drift.

Question 17

Define sub-aerial processes:

Answer 17

Includes processes that
slowly (usually) break down the coastline, weaken
the underlying rocks and allow sudden movements or
erosion to happen more easily. Material is broken down
in situ, remaining in or near its original position. These
may affect the shape of the coastline, and include
weathering, mass movement and run-off.

Question 18

Define wave-cut platform:

Answer 18

A gently sloping (less than 5°),
relatively smooth, marine platform caused by abrasion at
the base of the cliff.

Question 19

Define eustatic change:

Answer 19

A global change in sea level resulting
from an actual fall or rise in the level of the sea itself.

Question 20

Define fjord:

Answer 20

Former glacial valley drowned by rising sea levels.

Question 21

Define isostatic change:

Answer 21

Local changes in sea level resulting from the land rising or falling relative to the sea.

Question 22

Define raised beaches:

Answer 22

Areas of former wave-cut platforms and their beaches which are at a level higher than the present sea level.

Question 23

Define ria:

Answer 23

Former river valleys drowned by rising sea levels.

Question 24

Define hard engineering:

Answer 24

Making a physical change to the coastal landscape using resistant materials, like concrete, boulders, wood and metals.

Question 25

Define soft engineering:

Answer 25

Using natural systems for coastal defence, such as beaches, dunes, and salt marshes, which can absorb and adjust to wave and tide energy.

Question 26

Define systems:

Question 27

Define stores:

Question 28

Define flows/transfers:

Question 29

Define outputs:

Question 30

Define dynamic equilibrium:

Question 31

Define feedback:

Question 32

Define open system:

Question 33

Define inputs:

Question 34

Define outputs

Question 35

Define components

Question 36

Define backshore:

Question 37

Define foreshaw:

Question 38

Define inshore:

Question 39

Define offshore:

Question 40

Define nearshore:

Question 41

Define prevailing wind:

Question 42

Define abrasion:

Question 43

Define hydraulic action:

Question 44

Define solution:

Question 45

Define attrition:

Question 46

Define longshore current: