Coastal systems and landscapes key words Flashcards
Fetch
The length of ocean over which winds blow from a consistent direction
Inputs
Components added to a system
Swash
The movement of a wave up the beach
Backwash
The movement of a wave back down the beach
Sediment
Previously eroded material
Prevailing wind
A wind from the direction that is predominant or most usual at a particular place or season
Coastal system
A series of linked elements affecting the coastal zone through which energy and material circulate
Equilibrium
A state of balance between inputs and outputs
Sediment budget
The net sum vale between quantities of input and output of sediment in a system
Sediment (littoral) cell
A section of coastline in which sediment is recycled but not added to or lost
Closed sediment system
A coastal system that receives no additional sediment inputs and has no losses of sediment to areas external to the system
Sediment sink
When sediment is lost to the system by transfer to a location beyond further access
Negative feedback cycle
Where changes within the system slow down or reduce the causes of further disruption, dampening down the force for change
Positive feedback cycle
Where the effect of change is to amplify the original causes so that additional change occurs
Oscillatory wave
A wave in open sea with full circular motion of particles
Translatory wave
A breaking wave in which the circular motion is broken by basal friction
Storm surge
Sea level raised to an abnormal height beyond the usual tidal range as a result of particular short-term weather conditions
Wave refraction
The changes in wave orientation and frequency as they encounter a non-uniform coastline
Tidal range
The vertical difference in height of sea level between high and low tide
Intertidal zone
The shoreline between the highest and lowest spring tides; it is where the predominant wave activity occurs so is subject to most marine erosion, transfer and deposition
High-energy coast
A coastline subject to max inputs; its likely to be dynamic
Low-energy coast
A coastline that has key inputs, transfers and outputs in balance and is more likely to be in a state of dynamic equilibrium
