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Geography > Coastal Systems and Landscapes > Flashcards

Coastal Systems and Landscapes Flashcards

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1
Q

Components of a system

A

1) Inputs
2) Outputs
3) Flow/Transfers
4) Stores/Components.

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2
Q

Negative Feedback

A

When a change in the system causes other changes that have the opposite effect.

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3
Q

Positive Feedback

A

When a change in the system causes other changes that have a similar effect.

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4
Q

Wind

A

Created by air moving from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.

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5
Q

What changes the effect of a wave?

A

The wave height - it is affected by the wind speed and the fetch of the wave.

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6
Q

Waves

A

Created by the wind blowing over the surface of the sea. The friction between the wind and the surface of the sea gives the water a circular motion.

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7
Q

The fetch of a wave

A

The maximum distance of sea the wind has blown over in creating the waves.

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8
Q

Constructive Waves

A

Low frequency (6-8 per minute)
They’re low and long, which gives them a more elliptical cross profile.
The powerful swash carries material up the beach and deposits it.

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9
Q

Destructive Waves

A

High and steep with a more circular cross profile.
They have a higher frequency (10-14 waves per minute).
The strong backwash removes material from the beach.

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10
Q

Tides

A

The periodic rise and fall of the ocean surface, caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun.

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11
Q

Currents

A

The general flow of water in one direction - it can be caused by wind or by variations in water temperature and salinity.

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12
Q

High energy Coasts

A

receive high inputs of energy in the form of large, powerful waves.
These can be caused by strong winds, long fetches and steeply shelving offshore zones.
The rate of erosion is often higher than the rate of deposition.

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13
Q

Low energy coasts

A

receive low inputs of energy in the form of small, gentle waves.
These can be caused by gentle winds, short fetches and gently sloping offshore zones.
The rate of deposition is often higher than the rate of erosion.

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14
Q

Sediment Budget

A

The difference between the amount of sediment that enters the system and the amount that leaves

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15
Q

Sediment/ Littoral Cells

A

Lengths of the coastline that are pretty much self-contained for the movement of sediment.

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16
Q

Corrasion (abrasion)

A

Bits of rock and sediment transported by the waves smash and grind against rocks and cliffs, breaking bits off and smoothing surfaces.

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17
Q

Hydraulic Action

A

air in cracks in cliffs is compressed when waves crash in. The pressure exerted by the compressed air breaks off rock pieces.

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18
Q

Cavitation

A

As waves recede, the compressed air expands violently, again exerting pressure on the rock and causing pieces to break off.

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19
Q

Wave Quarrying

A

The energy of a wave as it breaks against a cliff is enough to detach bits of rock.

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20
Q

Solution (corrosion)

A

Soluble rocks get gradually dissolved by the seawater

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21
Q

Attrition

A

Bits of rock in the water smash against each other and break into smaller bits.

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22
Q

Suspension

A

Very fine material, such as silt and clay particles, is whipped up by turbulence and carried along in the water. Most eroded material is transported this way.

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23
Q

Saltation

A

larger particles, such as pebbles or gravel, are too heavy to be carried in suspension. Instead, the force of water causes them to bounce along the sea bed.

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24
Q

Traction

A

Very large particles, e.g. boulders, are pushed along the sea bed by the force of the water.

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25
Q

Sub-aerial weathering

A

The gradual breakdown of rock by agents such as ice, salt, plant roots and acids.

26
Q

Salt weathering

A

Caused by saline water which enters pores or cracks in rocks at high tide.

27
Q

Freeze-Thaw weathering

A

occurs in areas where temperatures fluctuate above and below freezing.
Water enters the joints and crevices in rocks. The water freezes and expands, over time the repeated freeze-thaw action weakens the rocks and causes pieces to fall off.

28
Q

Wetting and Drying

A

Some rocks contain clay. When clay gets wet, it expands and the pressure caused by this breaks fragments off the rock.

29
Q

Chemical Weathering

A

The breakdown of rock by changing composition.

30
Q

Eustatic Change

A

caused by a change in the volume of water in the sea, or by a change in the shape of the ocean basins.

31
Q

Isostatic Change

A

Caused by vertical movements of the land relative to the sea. Any downward movement of the land causes sea level to rise locally, while uplift of land causes sea level to fall.

32
Q

Rias

A

formed where river valleys are partially submerged. They have a gentle long- and cross-profile. They’re wide and deep at their mouth, becoming narrower and shallower the further inland they reach.

33
Q

Fjords

A

drowned glacial valleys. They’re relatively straight and narrow, with very steep sides. They have a shallow mouth caused by a raised bit of ground formed by deposition of material by the glacier. They’re very deep further inland.

34
Q

Dalmatian Coasts

A

Formed in areas where valleys lie parallel to the coast, an increases in sea level. Valleys are flooded, leaving islands parallel to the coastline.

35
Q

The four options for coastal management

A

Hold the line, advance the line, no active involvement, managed realignment

36
Q

Sea wall

A

The wall reflects waves back out to sea, preventing erosion of the coasts. It also acts as a barrier to prevent flooding.

37
Q

Cost and disadvantages of sea walls

A

Expensive to build and maintain
It creates a string backwash which erodes under the wall.

38
Q

Revetment

A

slanted structures built at the foot of cliffs. They can be made from concrete, wood or rocks. Waves break against them, which absorb wave energy and so prevent cliff erosion

39
Q

Costs and disadvantages of revetments

A

Expensive to build, but relatively cheap to maintain.
They create a strong backwash which erodes under the revetments.

40
Q

Gabions

A

Rock-filled cages, usually built at the foot of cliffs. They absorb wave energy and so reduce erosion

41
Q

Cost and disadvantages of gabions

A

cheap cost but ugly

42
Q

Riprap

A

Boulders piled up along the coast. They absorb wave energy and so reduce erosion.

43
Q

Cost and disadvantages of riprap

A

fair cheap cost but can shift in storms

44
Q

Groynes

A

fences built at right angles to the coast. They trap beach material transported by longshore drift. This creates wider beaches, which slow the waves and so gives greater protection from flooding and erosion.

45
Q

Cost and disadvantages of groynes

A

Quite cheap
They starve down-droft beaches of sand. Thinner beaches don’t protect the coast as well, leading to greater erosion and flooding.

46
Q

Breakwaters

A

Concrete blocks or boulders deposited off the coast. They force waves to break offshore. The waves’ energy and erosive power are reduced before they reach the shore.

47
Q

Cost and disadvantages of breakwaters

A

Expensive
Can be damaged in storms

48
Q

Earth Banks

A

Mounds of earth act as a barrier to prevent flooding

49
Q

cost and disadvantages of earth bank

A

Quite expensive
can be eroded

50
Q

Tidal Barrier

A

built across river estuaries. They contain retractable floodgates that can be raised to prevent flooding from storm surges.

51
Q

Cost and disadvantages of Tidal Barriers

A

VERY expensive

52
Q

Tidal Barrage

A

Dams built across river estuaries. Their main purpose is to generate electricity. Water is trapped behind the dam at high tide. Controlled release of water through turbines in the dam at low tide generates electricity. They also prevent flooding from storm surges.

53
Q

Cost and disadvantages of Tidal barrage

A

Very expensive
They disrupt sediment flow, which may cause increased erosion elsewhere in the estuary

54
Q

Beach nourishment

A

Sand and shingle are added to beaches from elsewhere. This creates wider beaches, which reduce erosion of cliffs more than thin beaches

55
Q

Beach stabilisation

A

Reducing the slope angle and planting vegetation, or by sticking stakes and old tree trunks in the beach to stabilize the sand. It also creates wider beaches, which reduce erosion of cliffs.

56
Q

Dune regeneration

A

Where sand dunes are created or restored by either nourishment or stabilisation of the sand. They also provide a barrier between land and sea, absorbing wave energy and preventing flooding and erosion

57
Q

Why is land use management important for dune regeneration

A

The vegetation needed to stabilize the dune can easily be trampled and destroyed, leaving the dune vulnerable to erosion.

58
Q

Creating marshlands from mudflats

A

The vegetation stabilises the sediment, and the stems and leaves help reduce the speed of the waves. This reduces their erosive power and how far the waves reach inland, leading to less flooding of the area around the marsh.

59
Q

Coastal Realignment

A

involves breaching an existing defence and allowing the sea to flood the land behind. Over time, vegetation will colonies the land and it’ll become marshland.

60
Q

Shoreline Management Plans

A

The coastline is split into stretches bu sediment Cells. For each cell, a plan is devised for how to manage different areas with the aim of protecting important sites without causing problems elsewhere in the cell.

61
Q

Integrated Coastal Zone Management

A

considers all elements of the coastal system when coming up with a management strategy. It aims to protect the coastal zone in a relatively natural state, whilst allowing people to use it and develop it in different ways.

Geography (3 decks)

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