Coastal Systems - P

Question 1

what is a system

Answer 1

a set of interrelated elements that are connected together to form a working unit

Question 2

what is a closed system

Answer 2

a system with inputs and outputs of energy but without the movement of matter across the system boundary

Question 3

what is an open system

Answer 3

a system whose boundaries are open to both inputs and outputs of energy and matter

Question 4

what are the inputs in coastal landscapes

Answer 4

• sediment from offshore
• sediment from cliffs
• sediment from rivers (fluvial)
• solar energy
• kinetic energy (waves, tides)
• potential energy (cliffs/slopes)

Question 5

what are the flows/processes in coastal landscapes

Answer 5

• marine (sea) erosion
• Aeolian (wind) erosion
• Weathering
• Mass movement
• Transportation
• Deposition

Question 6

what are the stores in coastal landscapes

Answer 6

• Beaches (sand, shingle, gravel)
• Mudflats
• Sand Dunes
• Deltas
• Salt Marshes
• Cliffs

Question 7

what are the outputs in coastal landscapes

Answer 7

• sediment moving offshore (marine, wind)
• sediment moving along the shore (longshore drift)
• evaporation of water

Question 8

what 2 flows come from solar energy

Answer 8

• hydrological cycle - river currents - coastal process - coastal landscapes and landforms
• atmospheric processes - ocean waves and currents - coastal process - coastal landscapes and landforms

Question 9

what flow comes from gravitational energy (Earth)

Answer 9

• mass movements - coastal process - coastal landscapes and landforms

Question 10

what flow comes from gravitational energy (Moon, Sun)

Answer 10

• tides - coastal process - coastal landscapes and landforms

Question 11

what flow comes from geothermal energy

Answer 11

• tectonic activity/ plate tectonics - coastal landscapes and landforms

Question 12

are coastal landscapes open or closed systems

Answer 12

open on a local scale
closed on a regional scale

Question 13

what is a sediment cell

Answer 13

a stretch of coastline and its associated nearshore area within which the movement of coarse sediment, sand and shingle is largely self- contained

Question 14

why are sediment cells used

Answer 14

to consider larger stretches of coastline as a system

Question 15

how are sediment cells put in place

Answer 15

the boundary of each cell is determined by a clear change in the coastline

Question 16

what type of system are sediment cells

Answer 16

a closed system - as sediment circulates within the sediment cell - it doesn’t transfer into or out of the cell
- energy passes through the system in waves

Question 17

what are the inputs in a sediment cell

Answer 17

• eroding cliffs
• eroding depositional features
• river/ estuary sediment
• offshore bars

Question 18

what are the transfer processes in a sediment cell

Answer 18

• longshore drift
• tidal
• currents

Question 19

what are sinks in a sediment cell

Answer 19

• depositional features e.g. beaches, bars, dunes
• submarine canyons

Question 20

how are their outputs in a sediment cell

Answer 20

here outputs refer to sediment that will not interact with longshore drift currents and waves so is considered an output