Coastal Systems And Landscapes - Glossary Flashcards
What is abrasion in coastal geography?
A form of erosion where loose material ‘sandpapers’ the walls and floors of the river, cliff or glacier
Also known as attrition.
Define backshore.
The upper beach closest to the land, including any cliffs or sand dunes.
What does beach morphology refer to?
The surface shape of the beach.
What is coastal recession?
The retreat of a coastline due to erosion, sea-level rise or submergence.
What characterizes a concordant coast?
A coastline where bands of alternate geology run parallel to the coast.
Explain corrasion.
A form of erosion when breaking waves fling material at a cliff face, physically knocking off material.
What is corrosion in the context of coastal geography?
The acid in seawater and some types of seaweed attacks particular rock minerals, causing erosion and weakening.
Describe the Dalmatian Coast.
A concordant coastline with several river valleys running perpendicular to the coast, which become flooded to produce parallel long islands and long inlets.
What is DEFRA’s 1:1 Cost-Benefit Analysis?
The evaluation of a coastal town’s economic value compared to the cost of the management required.
What defines a discordant coast?
A coastline where bands of alternate geology run perpendicular to the shore.
What is dynamic equilibrium?
Where a natural system tries to achieve a balance by making constant changes in response to a constantly changing system.
Define emergent coast.
A coastline that is advancing relative to the sea level at the time.
What does eustatic refer to?
Global changes to sea levels.
What is fetch in coastal terms?
The distance the wave travels before it reaches the coastline.
Describe a fjord.
A long narrow inlet deeper in the middle section than at the mouth, created when sea levels rise relative to the land.
What is the foreshore?
The lower part of the beach covered twice a day at high tide.
Fill in the blank: Freeze thaw is a form of physical sub-aerial weathering where water _______ in the cracks of a rock.
freezes
What is glacial erosion?
The removal of loose material by glacier ice, involving plucking, abrasion, crushing and basal meltwater.
What does grading refer to in coastal geography?
The layering of sediments based on their size.
What is a high-energy environment in coastal geography?
A coast where wave action is predominantly large destructive waves, causing much erosion.
Define hydraulic action.
The pressure of compressed air forced into cracks in a rock face will cause the rock to weaken and break apart.
What is Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)?
Large sections of coastline, often sediment cells, managed in an integrated manner.
What is Geology?
The structure and arrangement of a rock.
What is Glacial Erosion?
The removal of loose material by glacier ice, involving plucking, abrasion, crushing and basal meltwater.
Necessary in the formation of Fjords.
What is Grading?
The layering of sediments based on their size.
What is a High-energy Environment?
A coast where wave action is predominantly large destructive waves, causing much erosion.
What is Hydraulic Action?
The pressure of compressed air forced into cracks in a rock face will cause the rock to weaken and break apart.
What is Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)?
Large sections of coastline (often sediment cells) are managed with one integrated strategy and management occurs between different political boundaries.
What does Impermeable mean?
A rock that does not allow rainwater to pass through.
What does Isostatic refer to?
A change in local coastline or land height relative to sea level.
What is a Littoral Cell?
A section of the coast, within which involves much sediment movement. A littoral cell is not a closed system.
What is Longshore Drift?
The transportation of sediment along a beach. Longshore Drift is determined by the direction of the prevailing wind.
What is a Low-energy Environment?
A coast where wave action is predominantly small constructive waves, causing deposition and leading to beach accretion.
What is Mass Movement?
The falling or movement of rock, often due to Gravity.
What is Nearshore?
The area before the shore where the wave steepness and breaks before they reach the shore and then reform before breaking on the beach. It extends from the low-tide zone and then out to sea.
What does Permeable mean?
A rock that allows rainwater to pass through it.
What is Plant Succession?
Change to a plant community due to growing conditions adapting (eg. sand dunes and salt marshes).
What is a Ria?
Narrow winding inlet which is deepest at the mouth, formed when sea levels rise causing coastal valleys to flood.
What is Geology?
The structure and arrangement of a rock.
What is Glacial Erosion?
The removal of loose material by glacier ice, involving plucking, abrasion, crushing and basal meltwater.
Necessary in the formation of Fjords.
What is Grading?
The layering of sediments based on their size.
What is a High-energy Environment?
A coast where wave action is predominantly large destructive waves, causing much erosion.
What is Hydraulic Action?
The pressure of compressed air forced into cracks in a rock face will cause the rock to weaken and break apart.
What is Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)?
Large sections of coastline (often sediment cells) are managed with one integrated strategy and management occurs between different political boundaries.
What does Impermeable mean?
A rock that does not allow rainwater to pass through.
What does Isostatic refer to?
A change in local coastline or land height relative to sea level.
What is a Littoral Cell?
A section of the coast, within which involves much sediment movement. A littoral cell is not a closed system.
What is Longshore Drift?
The transportation of sediment along a beach. Longshore Drift is determined by the direction of the prevailing wind.
What is a Low-energy Environment?
A coast where wave action is predominantly small constructive waves, causing deposition and leading to beach accretion.
What is Mass Movement?
The falling or movement of rock, often due to Gravity.
What is Nearshore?
The area before the shore where the wave steepness and breaks before they reach the shore and then reform before breaking on the beach. It extends from the low-tide zone and then out to sea.
What does Permeable mean?
A rock that allows rainwater to pass through it.
What is Plant Succession?
Change to a plant community due to growing conditions adapting (eg. sand dunes and salt marshes).
What is a Ria?
Narrow winding inlet which is deepest at the mouth, formed when sea levels rise causing coastal valleys to flood.
What is Saltation?
Smaller sediment bounces along the sea bed, being pushed by currents. The sediment is too heavy to be picked up by the flow of the water.
What is a Sediment Cell?
Sections of the coast bordered by prominent headlands where the movement of sediment is almost contained and acts in dynamic equilibrium.
What is a Sediment Budget?
Use data of inputs, outputs, stores and transfers to assess the gains and losses of sediment within a sediment cell.
What does SMP stand for?
SMP identifies all activities, both natural and human, within the coastline area of each sediment cell and recommends four actions: Hold the Line, Advance the Line, Managed Realignment, and No Active Intervention.
What are Subaerial Processes?
The combination of mass movement and weathering that affects the coastal land above sea.
What is a Submergent Coast?
A coast that is sinking relative to the sea level of the time.
What is Till?
Deposits of angular rock fragments in a finer medium.
What is Wave Quarrying?
When air is trapped and compressed against a cliff, causing rock fragments to break off the cliff over time.
What is Saltation?
Smaller sediment bounces along the sea bed, being pushed by currents. The sediment is too heavy to be picked up by the flow of the water.
What is a Sediment Cell?
Sections of the coast bordered by prominent headlands where the movement of sediment is almost contained and acts in dynamic equilibrium.
What is a Sediment Budget?
Use data of inputs, outputs, stores and transfers to assess the gains and losses of sediment within a sediment cell.
What does SMP stand for?
SMP identifies all activities, both natural and human, within the coastline area of each sediment cell and recommends four actions: Hold the Line, Advance the Line, Managed Realignment, and No Active Intervention.
What are Subaerial Processes?
The combination of mass movement and weathering that affects the coastal land above sea.
What is a Submergent Coast?
A coast that is sinking relative to the sea level of the time.
What is Till?
Deposits of angular rock fragments in a finer medium.
What is Wave Quarrying?
When air is trapped and compressed against a cliff, causing rock fragments to break off the cliff over time.