Coasts

Question 1

Landscape

Answer 1

An extensive area of land regarded as being visually and physically distinct

Question 2

Abrasion

Answer 2

The wearing away of cliffs by sediment flung from breaking waves

Question 3

Arch

Answer 3

A wave-eroded passage through a small headland. This begins as a cave formed in a headland, which is gradually widened and deepened until it cuts through

Question 4

Attrition

Answer 4

Erosion caused when rocks and boulders transported by waves bump into each other and break into smaller pieces

Question 5

Bar

Answer 5

Where a spit grows across a bay, a bay bar can eventually enclose the bay to create a lagoon. Bars can also form offshore due to the action of breaking waves

Question 6

Beach

Answer 6

The zone of deposited material that extends from the low water line to the limit of storm waves. The beach or shore can be divided in the foreshore and the backshore

Question 7

Beach Nourishment

Answer 7

The addition of new material to a beach artificially, through the dumping of large amounts of sand or shingle

Question 8

Beach Reprofiling

Answer 8

Changing the profile or shape of the beach. It usually refers to the direct transfer of material from the lower to the upper beach or, occasionally, the transfer of sand down the dune face crest to toe

Question 9

Cave

Answer 9

A large hole in a cliff caused by waves forcing their way into cracks in the cliff face

Question 10

Chemical Weathering

Answer 10

The decomposition of rock caused by a chemical change within that rock; sea water can cause chemical weathering of cliffs

Question 11

Cliff

Answer 11

A steep high rock face formed by weathering and erosion along the coastline

Question 12

Deposition

Answer 12

Occurs when material being transported by the sea is dropped due to the sea losing energy

Question 13

Dune Regeneration

Answer 13

Action taken to build up dunes and increase vegetation to strengthen the dunes and prevent excessive coastal retreat. This includes the re-planting of marram grass to stabilise the dunes, as well as planting trees and providing boardwalks

Question 14

Erosion

Answer 14

The wearing away and removal of material by a moving force, such as a breaking wave

Question 15

Gabion

Answer 15

Steel wire mesh filled with boulders used in coastal defences

Question 16

Hydraulic Power

Answer 16

The process by which breaking waves compress pockets of air in cracks in a cliff. The pressure may cause the crack to widen, breaking off rock

Question 17

Longshore Drift (LSD :D)

Answer 17

The zigzag movement of sediment along a shore caused by waves going up the beach at an oblique angle (swash) and returning at right angles (backwash). This results in the gradual movement of beach materials along the coast

Question 18

Managed Retreat

Answer 18

Allowing cliff erosion to occur as nature taking it’s course; erosion in some areas, deposition in others. Benefits include less money spent and the creation of natural environments. It may involve setting back or realigning the shoreline and allowing the sea to flood areas that were previously protected by embankments and seawalls

Question 19

Mass Movement

Answer 19

The downhill movement of weathered material under the force of gravity. The speed can vary considerably

Question 20

Mechanical Weathering

Answer 20

Weathering processes that cause physical disintegration or break up of exposed rock without any change in the chemical composition of the rock, for instance freeze thaw

Question 21

Rock Armour

Answer 21

Large boulders dumped on the beach as part of the coastal defences

Question 22

Sand Dune

Answer 22

Coastal sand hill above the high tide mark, shaped by wind action, covered with grasses and shrubs

Question 23

Sea Wall

Answer 23

A concrete wall that aims to prevent erosion of the coast by providing a barrier which reflects wave energy

Question 24

Sliding

Answer 24

Occurs after periods of heavy rain when loose surface material becomes saturated and the extra weight causes the material to become unstable and move rapidly downhill, sometimes in an almost fluid state

Question 25

Slumping

Answer 25

Rapid mass movement which involves a whole segment of the cliff moving down-slope along a saturated shear-plane or line of weakness

Question 26

Soft Engineering

Answer 26

Managing erosion by working with the natural processes to help restore beaches and coastal ecosystems

Question 27

Spit

Answer 27

A depositional landform formed when a finger of sediment extends from the shore out to sea, often at a river mouth. It usually has a curved end because of opposing winds and currents

Question 28

Stack

Answer 28

An isolated pillar of rock left when the top of an arch has collapsed. Over time, further erosion reduces the stack to a smaller, lower stump

Question 29

Transportation

Answer 29

The movement of eroded material

Question 30

Wave Cut Platform

Answer 30

A rocky, level shelf at or around sea level representing the base of old, retreated cliffs

Question 31

Waves

Answer 31

Ripples in the sea caused by the transfer of energy from the wind blowing over the surface of the sea. The largest waves are formed when winds are very strong, blow for lengthy periods and cross large expanses of water