Coastal Zone

Question 1

What is weathering

Answer 1

The breakdown of rocks in one place

Question 2

What is erosion

Answer 2

Breakdown of rocks that was then carried away

Question 3

What are tides caused by

Answer 3

The magnetic pull of the earth, the moon and the sun

Question 4

What is the fetch

Answer 4

The distance across which the wind blows. The bigger the fetch, the bigger the wave

Question 5

What factors affect the size of a wave

Answer 5

• How long the wind has been blowing
• The strength of the wind
• How far the wind has travelled (the fetch)

Question 6

What two types of wave reach the coast

Answer 6

Constructive and destructive

Question 7

What does a constructive wave do

Answer 7

Build up the beach and dump sand, pebbles on the shore

• Swash is more powerful than backwash
• Longer wavelength than wave height
• Which beach at a rate of eight a minute or less

Question 8

What is the coastal zone

Answer 8

The point where the land meets the sea

Question 9

What does a destructive wave do

Answer 9

It takes material away

• Greater weight height than wavelength
• Back wash is stronger than swash
• Destructive waves reach beach at a rate of 10+ per minute
• formed by a storm (mainly during winter)

Question 10

What are the three processes of weathering

Answer 10

• Mechanical or physical weathering
• Chemical weathering
• Biological weathering

Question 11

What is mechanical/physical weathering?

Answer 11

The breakdown of rocks which doesn’t involve any chemical changes taking place-build up a rock at the bottom of the hill or Cliff is known as scree
E.g. Frost shattering all freeze thaw
Exfoliation/onion peel

Question 12

What is chemical weathering

Answer 12

Weathering that involves a chemical change taking place. Breakup of rock involving chemical changes e.g. acid rain or carbonation

Question 13

What is biological weathering

Answer 13

Weathering caused by living organisms e.g. tree roots and borrowing animals

Question 14

Methods of coastal erosion

Answer 14

• Corrosion/solution
• Corrasion/abrasion
• Attrition
• Hydraulic action
• Wave pounding

Question 15

What is corrosion/solution

Answer 15

• Occurs when the seawater is slightly acidic and reacts with dissolved rocks e.g. limestone, chocolates
• Sea water becomes acidic from the CO2 being dissolved from the air, fish, seaweed and algae…

Question 16

What is corrasion/abrasion

Answer 16

• Caused by wearing away of rocks being flung at the cliff face
• During storms huge quantities of rocks will be thrown at/where down the cliffs

Question 17

What is attrition

Answer 17

• Pebbles in waves constantly knock against each other

- Gives fairly smooth and around rocks

Question 18

What is hydraulic action

Answer 18

• As waves hit the cliffs, water is forced into little cracks, displacing/pushing the water the back.
• When the wave retreats the air expands(pops) to fill the space, therefore sending out a little soundwaves (vibrations)
• if this happens thousands of times a day, it can cause the rock to disintegrate

Question 19

What is wave pounding

Answer 19

Sheer force of the water hit in the cliff. Greatest force in storms

Question 20

What coastal features are formed as a result of erosion

Answer 20

• Headlands/bays
• Cliffs, undercutting/wave cut notch
• Caves
• Arches
• Stacks, stamps, Reefs
• Wave cut platform

Question 21

What is differential erosion

Answer 21

• Takes place at different rates on the coast as there are different types of rocks
• this means there will be different times of the erosion-soft rocks get a eroded first
• Hard rock forms headlines
• Soft rock forms bays

Question 22

Give me two examples of cliffs

Answer 22

• White Cliffs of Dover

- Seven sisters in Suffolk

Question 23

Give me two examples of wave cut platform

Answer 23

• Birling Gap, Sussex

- Robin Hood Bay, Yorkshire

Question 24

What happened at Barton on Sea

Answer 24

In 2008 the cliffs collapsed as a result of sliding and rotational slumping

Question 25

What happened at Holbeck Hall

Answer 25

In 1993 a rotational landslide involving about 1 million tons of glacial till cut back the cliff by 70 m

Question 26

What is hard engineering

Answer 26

Building up artificial structures such as seawalls aimed at controlling natural processes

• very expensive
• Must be a high population/high value of land behind
• Review and repair needed

Question 27

What is soft engineering

Answer 27

A sustainable approach to managing the coast with out using artificial structures e.g. Dune regeneration, marsh creation and beach nourishment

• cheaper
• Natural protection
• Small-scale
• more review and repair needed then hard engineering

Question 28

Where is the beach nourishment example

Answer 28

Seaford head, Bournemouth. Eastbourne, Sussex

Question 29

Give examples of where Dune regeneration is

Answer 29

Mullaghmore, Republic of Ireland

Question 30

Give an example of where Marsh creation/managed retreat is

Answer 30

Abbotts Hall farm, Essex

Question 31

Give an example of where a sea wall is in place

Answer 31

Torcross, Devon

Question 32

Give an example where groynes are in place

Answer 32

Walton on naze

Question 33

Give an example where Rock armour is in place

Answer 33

Slapton beach, Devon

Question 34

Give an example of gabions

Answer 34

Slapton beach

Question 35

Give example of tetra pods and where they are found

Answer 35

Scarborough, Yorkshire

Question 36

Give an example of a managed retreat

Answer 36

Cuckmere haven, East Sussex

Question 37

Give example of where they have recently spent a lot of money on improving costal defences

Answer 37

North Coast of Sussex at mine head

Question 38

Give an example of some saltmarshes

Answer 38

Keyhaven marshes in Hampshire