Coasts Flashcards
How is the coast a natural system?
- Inputs of energy and sediment
- Erosional landforms and landscapes
- Depositional landforms and landscapes
- Outputs of energy, sediment removal and sediment above tidal limit
What are the coastal zones?
Offshore, Nearshore, Foreshore, Backshore, Swash Zone, Breaker Zone, Surf Zone
Zones of the coast in order moving from sea to land
Offshore > Nearshore > Foreshore > Backshore
Wave zones in the correct order
Swash Zone > Breaker Zone > Surf Zone
What is the Offshore?
Beyond the point where waves have an impact on the seabed
What is the Nearshore?
Between Low Water Mark and area where waves cease to have an influence on the seabed
What is the Foreshore?
Between High Water Mark and Low Water Mark
What is the Backshore?
Above High Water Mark up to landward limit of marine activity
What is the Swash Zone?
Turbulent water rushes up the beach as the swash
What is the Breaker Zone?
Waves approaching begin to break
What is the Surf Zone?
Between waves breaking and moving up the beach as swash
What are the sources of energy?
- Waves
- Winds
- Tides
- Wave Refraction
- Currents
Wind as a source of energy
The energy depends on the strength, duration and fetch
Tides as a source of energy
Gravitational pull of the moon, and the sun, create a spring tide every 14 days when aligned and neap tide every 14 days when at a right angle.
Wave Refraction as a source of energy
Energy of a wave becomes concentrated on headlands and dissipated at bays, as waves in shallow water slow down due to friction with the sea bed.
Features of a Destructive Wave
- High height
- 10-14/minute
- Backwash more powerful than swash
- Sediment removed
- Steep beaches
Features of a Constructive Wave
- Low height
- 6-8/minute
- Swash more powerful than backwash
- Beach built up
- Gentle beaches
Why do tides vary?
- Morphology of sea bed
- Proximity of land masses
- Coriolis force
Three different types of currents
- Longshore currents
- Rip currents
- Upwelling
What are longshore currents?
Longshore drift
What are Rip currents?
Move away from the coastline, e.g. at a headland
What is Upwelling?
Cold water makes its way to the surface
What are Sediment cells?
A stretch of coastline, usually bordered by two headlands, where the movement of sediment is largely contained.
How many sediment cells are there around England and Wales?
11
What is the Sediment Budget?
The amount of sediment that is available and tries to be in dynamic equilibrium. Can be upset by a storm or sudden increase in discharge or by human activity.
What are the geomorphological processes?
- Erosion
- Transportation
- Deposition
- Weathering
Definition of geomorphological process
Processes involved in the change of landforms
What are the coastal processes of erosion?
- Wave Quarrying
- Attrition
- Solution
- Hydraulic Action
- Abrasion
What is Wave Quarrying?
Cavitation that traps air causing huge pressure, which is released when wave withdraws
What is Attrition?
Material being carried by the sea hits against each other becoming smaller, rounder and smoother
What is Solution?
Rocks, normally limestone or other rocks containing carbon, are dissolved. This is normally by rainfall and is therefore not technically erosion.