Coasts Flashcards
What is an open system?
Allows energy + mass to pass across the system boundary.
What is a closed system?
Allows energy but not mass to pass across the system boundary.
What are boundaries?
The limits of the system.
What are stores?
Where matter or energy build up.
What are inputs?
When matter or energy is added to the system.
What are outputs?
When matter or energy leaves the system.
What is an example of positive feedback in coastal systems?
An increase in wave energy could scour the seabed, deepening the water and allowing yet more wave energy to enter the location, further increasing wave energy.
What is an example of negative feedback in coastal systems?
A decrease in wave energy entering the coastal zone could lead to deposition of sediment offshore, further reducing wave energy as more wave energy is lost to friction.
How does wind effect coastal energy?
Wind has a large impact on the destructiveness and power of waves.
Characteristics of HIGH energy coastal landscapes:
Rocky coasts with a long fetch and high wind speeds, resulting in large waves.
Rate of erosion exceeds rate of deposition.
Characteristics of LOW energy coastal landscapes:
Sheltered coasts with limited fetch and low wind speeds resulting in small waves.
Rate of deposition exceeds rate of erosion.
Landforms associated with HIGH energy coastal landscapes:
Headlands
Cliffs
Wave-cut Platforms
Landforms associated with LOW energy coastal landscapes:
Beaches
Spits
What is a sediment cell?
Lengths of coastline entirely self-contained in relation to movement of sediment.
Where is the boundary of a sediment cell?
A river or headland.
