Coastal Systems and Landscapes

Question 1

What is a system

Answer 1

Set of interrelated components working together towards a process

Question 2

What are the main sources of energy in coastal systems

Answer 2

Wind
Waves
Currents
Tides

Question 3

State the differences between constructive and destructive waves

Answer 3

Constructive:
- higher wavelength
- short height
- low frequency
- powerful swash, weak backwash
- net material gain

Question 4

Explain wave refraction

Answer 4

• Friction with sea floor when waves at an angle
• curved coastline increases refraction
• increases erosion at headland
• increases wave frequency in bay

Question 5

Explain longshore drift

Answer 5

Waves approaching beach at 45 degrees, flow of water parralel to shore transporting sediment.

Question 6

What are rip currents

Answer 6

Strong currents moving away from shore
- Sea waves piled up along coastline
- runs parallel, then flows into breakzone

Question 7

What are tides

Answer 7

Periodic rise and fall of sea level by gravitational pull of the moon
Tidal range - difference between high and low tide.

Question 8

What is a spring and neap tide

Answer 8

Spring - greatest difference between high and low tide - moon and sun at 90 degree angle to earth

Neap - lowest difference between high and low tide - moon, sun and earth form a line

Question 9

Compare high and low energy coastlines.

Answer 9

High energy coastlines:
- high wave energy
- high levels of erosion - higher than rate of deposition
- headlands, cliffs, wave cut platforms
Atlantic coastlines as example

low energy coastlines:
- beaches and spits
- baltic sea as example

Question 10

What are the 4 main types of marine processes and give examples

Answer 10

• Erosion - hydraulic action, wave quarrying, abrasion (corrasion), attrition, solution (corrosion)
• transportation - Traction, Saltation, Suspension, Solution, Littoral Drift.
• sub-aerial weathering - mechanical, biological, chemical
• mass movement - landslides, rockfall, mudflows, rotational slumping, runoff

Question 11

Explain the formation of a Saltmarsh

Answer 11

Sheltered shorelines, often at river estuaries. Flocculation of particles. Hallosere - plant succession

Question 12

Name the types of sea level rise

Answer 12

Eustatic - Global change - volume of water or shape of basin - changing climate (ice melting / thermal expansion)

Isostatic - local change - movement of land relative to the sea - uplift / depression, subsidence of land (drying saltarsh), tectonic plates

Question 13

What are submergent and emergent coastlines

Answer 13

Submergent (transgressive shorelie) - land becoming inundated due to rise of sea levels.

Emergent (regressive shoreline) - land exposed by falling sea levels

Question 14

Name some landforms of submergent and emergent cosstlines.

Answer 14

Submergent:
- Rias
- Fjords
- Dalmation coastlines

Emergent:
- Raised Beaches
- Marine Platforms

Question 15

Explain coastal management

Answer 15

Provide protection against erosion and flooding.
Examples - stabalise beaches against LSD, protect salt marshes, stabilise sand dunes

Question 16

What are shoreline management plans?

Answer 16

Introduced in UK 1995
Split UK coastline into 22 main sediment cells

3 types of responses:
- short term - last 0 - 20 years
- medium term - 20 - 50 years
- long term - 50 - 100 years

Updated since 2015

Question 17

What are the actions that can be done through SMP’s?

Answer 17

Hold the line - current defenses maintained

Advance the line - new defenses built seaward of existing.

Managed realignment - foward / backward to control movement - increase to flooding managed

Do nothing - no active intervention

Question 18

Name some dissadvantages of SMP’s

Answer 18

• time consuming and expensive
• unpopular decisions
• difficult to educate locals - get importance across
• economically unsustainable

Question 19

Explain Intergrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)

Answer 19

UN earth summit - Rio De Janeiro 1992
- links to Agenda 21
Used worldwide

• considers all elements of coastal system.
• protect coastal zone in a relatively natural state
• dynamic strategy - re-evaluated if land use changes.

Question 20

How are ICZM’s intergrated

Answer 20

Environment viewed as whole - interdependence

Different uses are considered - fishing, farming, locals, tourism etc

Local, regional and national levels of authority have input.

Question 21

[CS] Background information on the Sundarbans

Answer 21

• Delta of the Ganges, Brahmuputra, Meghna.
• worlds largest mangrove forest
• Majority protected as national park
• Mangroves adapted for salinity and mudflats
• agriculture activities destroyed 17,179 hectares of Mangroves in 3 decades

Question 22

[CS] what are the risks in the Sundarbans

Answer 22

Natural:
- coastal flooding
- cyclones
- salinity
- island instability
- Accessibility
- human-eating Tigers

Human:
- over-exploitation of resources
- converision of wetlands to agriculture + settlement
- destructive fishing
- lack of environment awareness
- conflicts for resources
- lack of coastal issue awareness

Question 23

Coping methods

Answer 23

Resiliance - Ability to cope with challenges environment presents.

Mitigation - strategies to reduce severity of hazards.

Adaptations - attempts to live with hazards by adjusting living conditions.