Coasts Flashcards
What makes up a coastal system
- Inputs
- Sores and components
- Flows / transfers
- Outputs
Fetch
The distance a wave has travelled
What does larger fetch mean
The waves can be acted upon by the wind for a longer time so gain more energy
Inputs
Wind, precipitation, sediment
Flows/transfers
LSD, mass movement, erosion
Stores and components
Beaches, headlands, bays, sand dunes
Outputs
Evaporation, ocean currents, rip tides
What might dictate sediment in cell
- Weather = storms
- Humans = coastal defence
UK sediment cells
11 major cells which are subdivided into sub cells local to an area
Subcells
Generally bordered by 2 large headlands or deep water
Dynamic equilibrium
An ever changing state but in balance
Causes of tides
Gravitational pull of the sun and moon
Wave formation
Waves form when winds blowing across the water’s surface transfer their energy to the Water
What happens to sediment in the direction of prevailing wind
Gets smaller and rounder due to LSD and attrition
High energy coast
- Rough landscape
- Little deposited material
- High erosion
Low energy coasts
- Smooth coastline
- Calm waves
- Sheltered areas
Constructive waves
Add material to the coastline with strong swash
Destructive waves
Remove material with strong backwash with high erosion
Why are sediment cells considered closed systems
- Sediment exclusively moves between the stores retained by the two headlands
- Sediment created through the erosion of cliffs
Why is the coastal orientation key to determining coastal characteristics
Winds prevailing direction and magnitude
Coastal weathering
- Biological
- Chemical
- Mechanical
Sediment cell example
Flanborough head
Biological weathering 2
- Plant roots growing into cracks
- Animals burrow into weak points
Mechanical weathering 3
- Freeze thaw
- Salt crystallisation
- Wetting and drying
Freeze thaw erosion
Water enters a fault, freezes and then expands repeatedly
Crystallisation erosion
Can grow within cracks and expand
Wetting and drying erosion
Rock wetting of certain rocks make them expand and shrink
Positive feedback
Feedback that speeds up processes
Negative feedback
Feedback that slows processes
Mass movement
Downhill movement of sediment under gravity adding sediment
Geomorphical processes
- Erosion
- Transportation
- Deposition
Factors that affect erosion 4
- pH
- Geology
- Human presence
- Wind speed/direction
Transportation methods 4
- Traction
- Suspension
- Saltation
- Solution
Traction
Large boulders rolled along seabed
Saltation
Pebble sized particles bounced along seabed
Suspension
Small particles carried along water
Abrasion
Eroded material thrown against the rock