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Coasts Flashcards

1
Q

What is enquiry question 1?

A

why are coastal landscapes different and what processes causes these differences?

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2
Q

What is the definition of concordant coasts?

A

this is where bands of more resultant and less resistant rocks parallel to the coast

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3
Q

What are the key landforms of a concordant coast?

A

Dalmatian coasts- formed as a result of rise in sea level. Valleys and ridges run parallel to each other. When valleys flood ( due to sea levels rising ) the tops of the ridges remain above the sea. Looks like offshore islands.
Example: Dalmatian coasts of Croatia

Haff coasts- consists of concordant features, long spits of sands and lagoons aligned in parallel to the coast
Example: Southern shore of the Baltic sea

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4
Q

What is the definition of a discordant coast?

A

the geology alternates between bands of more resistant and less resistant rock which run at right angle to the coast

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5
Q

What are the key landforms of a discordant coast?

A

Headlands- force incoming waves to refract or bend concentrating their energy at the headlands. this increases the waves erosive power which leads to steepening of the cliff and their eventual erosion into arches

Bays- waves energy dissipates and reduces in the bay. This leads to deposition of the sediment.

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6
Q

What is the definition of deformation?

A

degree to which rock units have been deformed (tilted or folded) by tectonic activity

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7
Q

What is the definition of faulting?

A

presence of major fractures that have moved rocks from their original position

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8
Q

What is the definition of bedding in terms of rocks?

A

where rock types meet

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9
Q

What is a dip?

A

The angle in which rocks lie at an angle usually seen in deformed strata

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10
Q

What type of cliff profile is at a low angle with one rock layer facing the sea (usually vunrable to rock slides)?

A

Seaward Dip (high angle)

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11
Q

What type of cliff profile is vertical profile with notches reflecting strata that are more easily eroded?

A

Horizontal Dip

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12
Q

What type of cliff profile is steep profile of 70-80 degrees producing a very stable cliff with reduced rock fall?

A

Landward Dip

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13
Q

What type of cliff profile may exceed 90 degrees producing areas of overhanging rock (very vunrable to rock fall)

A

Seaward Dip (low angle)

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14
Q

What is the erosion rate of sedimentary rocks?

A

0.5 - 10 cm per year

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15
Q

What is the erosion rate of metamorphic rocks?

A

0.1 - 0.3 cm per year

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16
Q

What is the erosion rate of igneous rocks?

A

<0.1 cm per year

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17
Q

What are examples of sedimentary rock?

A

chalk, clay, conglomerate

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18
Q

What are examples of metamorphic rock?

A

Marble, slate, Gneiss

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19
Q

What are examples of igneous rocks?

A

Basalt, Granite, Gabbro

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20
Q

What is a psammoseres?

A

Sand dunes

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21
Q

What is a haloseres?

A

Salt marshes

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22
Q

What rock type and what are the characteristics of gabbro?

A

igneous
course grained and dark coloured

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23
Q

What rock type and what are the characteristics of conglomerate?

A

Sedimentary
clasts are well rounded and vary in size

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24
Q

What rock type and what are the characteristics of Gneiss?

A

Metamorphic
distinctive banding caused by segregation of mineral grains into layers often alternating between dark and light

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25
Q

What is the definition of a high energy environment?

A

where destructive storm waves breaking on shingle beaches are most typical

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26
Q

What is the definition of a low energy environment?

A

where constructive swell waves breaking upon sandy beaches are most typical

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27
Q

What two categories did Valentino use for coasts?

A

advancing- where marine deposition or the uplift is dominant
Retreating- where marine erosion or the submergence of land is more significant

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28
Q

What is the definition of marine erosion?

A

wearing away of the land surface and removal of materials by river and seawater, ice and wind

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29
Q

What is the definition of marine deposition?

A

Deposition occurs when energy levels decrease in environments such as bays and estuaries. Where deposition occurs on the inside of a spit a salt marsh can form

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30
Q

What does the littoral zone consist of?

A

coast
backshore
foreshore
nearshore
offshore

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31
Q

What four types of coast line are formed by the littoral zone?

A

rocky- resistant rock with high energy environments also destructive waves
sandy- low relief areas, low energy environments with more deposition than erosion
estuarine- salt marshes and mud flats river mounds with more deposition than erosion

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32
Q

What is short term classification?

A

energy inputs (high and low energy coastlines)
sediment inputs (deposition and erosion rates)
advancing and retreating (happens due to erosion and deposition rates)

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33
Q

what are the characteristics of a coastal plain?

A

flat land, low relief, often containing wetlands and salt marshes, low energy environments, high deposition
Mostly south-east UK

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34
Q

What are the characteristics of a rocky coast?

A

Cliffs that vary in height, high resistant rock, low relief, little deposition with high erosion
Mostly north-west UK

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35
Q

What are faults?

A

major fractures caused by tectonic processes

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36
Q

What are joints?

A

fractures created by rocks being moved

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37
Q

What are fissures?

A

more open than fractures

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38
Q

What is folding?

A

bends in rock due to sedimentary rock layering

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39
Q

What is anticline and syncline?

A

anticline-top of curve
syncline-bottom of curve

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40
Q

What is enquiry question 2?

A

how do characteristics of coastal landforms contribute to coastal landscapes?

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41
Q

What causes waves to be stronger and higher?

A

strength of wind
water depth
duration of wind blowing
distance of sea travelled (fetch)

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42
Q

What is an example of a long fetch?

A

Cornwall (longest prevailing wind of 4000km)

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43
Q

What are the characteristics of a constructive wave?

A

long wavelength
low surging waves
strong swash
weak backwash
beach gain

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44
Q

What are the characteristics of a destructive wave?

A

short wavelength
high plunge waves
weak swash
strong backwash
beach loss

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45
Q

What are the four erosional processes?

A

abrasion
hydraulic action
attrition
solution

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46
Q

what is marine processes?

A

action of waves

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46
Q

define erosion

A

wearing away of land surface and removal of material by river

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47
Q

what is abrasion

A

when waves advance they pick up sand and pebbles from sea bed and throw them at cliff face

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48
Q

what is hydraulic action

A

when wave advances air can become trapped and compressed in faults then the wave retreats air expands. This continuous process weakens the faults

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49
Q

what is attrition

A

gradual wearing down of rock particles by impacts and abrasion as [pieces of rock are moved by waves and tides

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50
Q

what is solution

A

when a cliff is formed by alkaline rock or cement bonds the rock particles together, solution by weak acids in salt water dissolve them eroding them down

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51
Q

define geomorphic

A

relates to the formation and shaping of landforms and landscapes by natural processes such as weathering, mass movement transportation and erosion

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52
Q

define weathering

A

breakdown or disintegration of rock in situ (original place) as a process it leads to the transfer (flow) of material

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53
Q

define mass movement

A

downhill movement of material under the influence of gravity

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54
Q

define marine process

A

includes erosion, transportation and deposition. Caused by power of wind which transfers energy to waves

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55
Q

what is an example of bay beaches

A

dorset coast

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56
Q

what is an example of bay bars

A

looe cornwall

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57
Q

what is an example of barrier beaches

A

start bay, Devon

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58
Q

what is an example of spits

A

Orford Ness Sufolk

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59
Q

what is an example of recurved spits

A

Hurst castle spit Hampshire

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60
Q

what is an example of cuspate forelands

A

Carolina USA

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61
Q

what is an example of tombolo’s

A

loch Eriboll Scotland

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62
Q

what is an example of a sediment cell

A

Portland bill

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63
Q

How many sediment cells are there in England and Wales?

A

11

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64
Q

What three components make up a sediment cell?

A

sinks, transfers and sources

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65
Q

What isa sediment cell

A

it is a closed system which is in dynamic equilibrium meaning no sediment is transferred between each cell

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66
Q

What are sources

A

places where sediment generated

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67
Q

What are transfer zones

A

place where sediment moving alongshore

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68
Q

What are sinks

A

locations where dominant process is deposition

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69
Q

What are examples of sources

A

erosion on cliff
onshore currents supply sediment to shore
land sediment eroded by rivers
wind-blown sediment from land
subaerial processes such as weathering and mass movement
shells and remains of marine organisms

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70
Q

What are examples of transfers

A

longshore drift
wave transport through swash and backwash
tides moving sediment in and out
currents- localised or large scale
wind alongshore and off shore

71
Q

What are examples of sinks

A

backshore depositional landforms
foreshore depositional landforms
nearshore depositional landforms
offshore sediment deposition to deep offshore waters

72
Q

What is negative feedback

A

maintains balance e.g. wave erosion causes rock fall which protects the base from further erosion

73
Q

What is positive feedback?

A

changes the balance until a new equilibrium is reached e.g. sand dunes are damaged during storm causing ‘blow out’ (depressions/hollows) allowing wind to move sand away , preventing marram grass from re-growing = more erosion

74
Q

What is mass movement?

A

movement of material downslope as result of gravity can be slow or fast. Water commonly acts as lubricant

75
Q

What is soil creep?

A

slow downhill movement of soil and debris under the influence of gravity

76
Q

What are mudflows?

A

fast movement of mass of water saturated soil, rock and debris that move downhill due to gravity.
Often occur after lots of heavy rainfall causing excessive friction between particles

77
Q

What is solifluction?

A

is the slow downslope movement of water logged soil and sediment caused by upper layer thawing during summer while permafrost still remains

78
Q

What is rock fall and talus slopes?

A

larger bits of rock fall down the cliff face, usually due to freeze thaw weathering
this creates talus slope, when the rock falls almost vertically, down the side of the cliff face
The coastline loses in shape and becomes more like a slope

79
Q

What are translational slides?

A

a translational or planar landslides is downslope movement of material that occurs along a distinctive planar surface of weakness such as a fault, joint or bedding plane

80
Q

What is rotational slumping?

A

occurs when a slump block, composed of sediment or rock, slides along a concave-upward slip surface with rotation around the axis parallel to the slope

81
Q

What are plant roots?

A

a seed from a plant lands in crack of a rock and as it grows the roots grow into the crack causes it to widen
this is a mechanical process that creates more surface area for other weathering processes to act upon

82
Q

What is rock boring?

A

rock boring acts as a catalyst within subaerial processes by initiating and enhancing the breakdown of rock material through biological means
Molluscs and sponges bore into cliffs and rocks along shorelines, weakening them and contributing to erosion

83
Q

What are seaweeds acids?

A

kelps contains pockets of sulphuric acids, when cells break, sulphuric acids attacks nearby rocks minerals like calcium carbonate, this leads to a chemical reaction similar to carbonation, increasing ocean acidity

84
Q

How does seaweed acids affect the landscape?

A

increases the oceans acidity means that erosion is quicker because the acid in water attacks the rocks
The increase in erosion makes the coastline more rocky

85
Q

What is freeze thaw weathering ?

A

is the continuous ongoing expansion of rock faults.

86
Q

What is salt crystallisation?

A

disintegration of rocks when saline solution seeps into cracks or faults of rocks then evaporates leaving salt crystals

87
Q

What is oxidation?

A

chemical process of oxidation is the reaction of a substance with oxygen

88
Q

What is hydrolysis?

A

affects the coast by causing weathering especially on softer rock types. Occurs when a mineral within a rock reacts with water to produce a new substance which can usually be eroded faster.

89
Q

what causes sea level change daily?

A

high and low tides
atmosphere pressure
winds

90
Q

What are the two types of sea level change?

A

isostatic
eustatic

91
Q

what is isostatic change?

A

local rise or fall in land level, relative to sea level (e.g. snow on Scotland causing tilt in UK)

92
Q

What is Eustatic change?

A

rise or fall in water level caused by change in volume of water, global change (e.g. thermal expansion)

93
Q

What is Kiribati a case study for?

A

climate change

94
Q

What problems does Kiribati face?

A

salt water contamination
sea level rise causing increased erosion and retreating land
lack of money for good defences

95
Q

How high is Kiribati above sea level

96
Q

By 2100 how much will sea levels rise for Kiribati?

A

30cm - 1 M higher

97
Q

What is the case study for tectonic sea level rise

98
Q

What is ‘great Britain slowly pivoting upwards in north and downwards in south’ an example of

A

isostatic change

99
Q

What is ‘Scotland still rebounding upwards, in some places up to 1.5mm a year’ an example of

A

isostatic change

100
Q

What is ‘England and Wales are subsiding up to 1mm per year’ an example of

A

isostatic change

101
Q

What is ‘global change affecting all the world’s connected sea’s and ocean’s’ an example of

A

eustatic change

102
Q

Define an emergent coast

A

result of a relative fall in sea level

103
Q

define a submergent coast

A

post glacial sea level was very rapid and would have drowned many coastlines

104
Q

What is ‘raised beaches and fossil cliffs’ an example of

A

emergent coastline

105
Q

What is ‘fjords-drowned river valley’ an example of

A

Submergent coastline

106
Q

What is ‘Ria-a drowned river valley in an unglaciated area caused by sea level rise’ an example of

A

submergent

107
Q

What is ‘Barrier islands-offshore sediment bars, usually sand dune covered’ an example of

A

submergent coastline

108
Q

how long is the plate in Aceh?

A

1600 km fault line

109
Q

What are the issues caused by the plate in Aceh?

A

sea bed rose by 7m displacing 30km^3 of water
(permanent sea level rise of 0.1mm)

110
Q

What percent of Egypt’s population live near the Nile Delta?

111
Q

How much land has already been lost due to the erosion of offshore bars in the Nile Delta?

112
Q

How much fertile land will be lost if the sea level rises by 1m in the Nile Delta?

A

2 million hectares

113
Q

What percent of the Nile Delta is high vulnerability?

114
Q

How much the sediment volume fall in the Nile Delta?

A

130 million tons to 15 million tons

115
Q

How does dredging increase erosion and what is it?

A

dredging is digging out the bottom of a river to improve shipping capacity but it reduces the amount of energy dissipated from incoming waves and so increases erosion

116
Q

What are the physical vulnerabilities that effect bangladesh?

A

low lying
three major rivers
storm surges increased by funnelling effect

117
Q

What are the human vulnerabilities that effect bangladesh?

A

climate change
urbanisation
dredging
vegetation removal (mangroves)
subsidence

118
Q

How much does the mangroves retreat in Bangladesh per year?

119
Q

What was the economic loses in Bangladesh due to storm surges?

A

$3 billion in loses

120
Q

How high is the land in Bangladesh above sea level?

121
Q

How many major floodplains are there in Bangladesh

122
Q

How many people will be displaced by 2050 in Bangladesh due to storm surges and seal level rise?

123
Q

How much of Bangladesh’s land will be submerged by sea level rise of 1.5m

A

22,000km^2

124
Q

How many people in Bangladesh will be affected by sea level rise and storm surges ?

A

18 million

125
Q

What are storm surges

A

temporary rise in sea level caused by atmospheric pressure changes and strong winds during storms

126
Q

What are the primary cases of storm surges?

A

low atmospheric pressure and strong winds

127
Q

What contributes to the strength of storm surges?

A

wind strength, coastal topography
tide levels
climate change
land use
coastal development
funnelling effect
sea beds shallow towards coast

128
Q

What were the environmental impacts of Cyclone Sidr?

A

685 528 hectares of damaged crops
many fresh water sources contaminated
server coastal flooding

129
Q

What were the economic impacts of cyclone Sidr

A

cost of $1.7 billion
1,500,000 houses damaged
$29.6 in damage to roads
703 KM of electricity lines damaged

130
Q

What were the social impacts of Cyclone Sidr?

A

4234 dead/missing
55 000 injured
16000 educational institutes damaged
sanitiation+infastructure

131
Q

What were the causes of the impacts of cyclone sidr?

A

river embankments had been lowered to pave roads
low lying country
removal of mangroves
funnelling effect
developing country

132
Q

What are the causes of storm surges in the UK

A

intense low pressure
sea shape and coastline
sea depth
high seasonal tides
strong northernly winds pushed surge further south

133
Q

What are the social impacts of the storm surge in Uk between 2013-14

A

forced evacuation
bridges shut
two people died

134
Q

What were the environmental impacts of the storm surge in the UK between 2013-14

A

strong winds (over 200 km/hr in scotland)

135
Q

What were the economic impacts from the storm surge in the UK between 2013-14?

A

1400 homes flooded
cliff erosion led to properties falling into sea
cost of £100 million

136
Q

what causes increased flooding risk?

A

more storms due to warmer oceans

more flooding due to climate change decreasing height above sea level

137
Q

How can we prepare for flooding in the future?

A

adaptation (making changes to lessen the impacts of flooding)

Mitigation (making efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse and so reduce impacts of climate change)

138
Q

What is enquiry question 3?

A

How do coastal erosion and sea level change alter the physical characteristics of coastlines and increase risk?

139
Q

What is an example of dalmatian coast

A

dalmatian coast of croatia

140
Q

What is an example of haff coast

A

Southern shore of baltic sea

141
Q

What is an example of headlands

A

Dorset Coastline

142
Q

What is an example of bays

A

Lulworth cove

143
Q

What is an example of High energy environment

A

Lulworth cove

144
Q

What is an example of sedimentary rocks

A

chalk or clay

145
Q

What is an example of metamorphic rocks

A

marble or slate

146
Q

What is an example of igneous rock

A

Basalt or Granite

147
Q

What is an example of Coasts that need protecting (livelihood)

A

fairbourne

148
Q

What is an example of vary geology in area effecting defences

A

New Biggin

149
Q

What is an example of tombolos

A

Chesil Beach Cornwall

150
Q

What is an example of wave cut platforms

A

Flamborough, Holderness coast

151
Q

What is an example of low energy coastal environment

A

Nile Delta

152
Q

What is an example of long fetch

153
Q

What is an example of bay beaches

A

Dorset coast

154
Q

What is an example of bay bars

A

Looe, Cornwall

155
Q

What is an example of spits

A

Orford Ness Suffolk

156
Q

What is an example of cuspate forelands

A

Carolina USA

157
Q

What is an example of sediment cell

A

Portland Bill

158
Q

What is an example of sources

A

erosion on cliffs

159
Q

What is an example of tranfers

A

longshore drift

160
Q

What is an example of sinks

A

backshore depositional landforms

161
Q

What is an example of climate change

162
Q

What is an example of tectonic sea level rise

163
Q

What is an example of Storm surges (developing)

A

Cyclone Sidr

164
Q

What is an example of storm surges (developed)

A

UK storm surges

165
Q

What is an example of human and physical vulnerability to do with flooding

A

Bangladesh

166
Q

What kind of coastal landscapes do headlands and cliffs belong to?

A

high energy with resistant geology

Rocky coastline

167
Q

What kind of coastal landscapes do beaches and psammosere’s belong to?

A

low energy environments

Sandy coastline

168
Q

What kind of coastal landscapes do mudflats and halosere’s belong to?

A

low energy environments

Estuarine coastlines

169
Q

How does permeability effect the coast?

A

Water drainage and erosion (more permeability=less surface run off=less erosion)

Mass movement (permeable rocks on top of impermeable leads to water accumulation=more weight and lubrication)

Formation (influences formation of stacks, etc)

170
Q

What three distinctive landforms form as a result of mass movement

A

rotational scars
talus scree slopes
terraced cliff profiles

171
Q

How do rotational scars form

A

form when section of a cliff slump due to rotational movement, exposing fresh curved untethered rock surface

172
Q

How do talus scree slopes form

A

develops when rock fragments accumulate at base of cliff following blockfall event

173
Q

How does terraced cliff profiles form

A

result of repeated slumping where detached slope sections settle into a stepped formation

174
Q

How are emergent coastlines formed

A

formed when land rises faster than sea levels revealing raised beaches and fossil cliffs

175
Q

How are submergent coastlines formed

A

created when rising in sea levels flood coastal areas forming rias (drowned river valleys) and fjords

Geography (8 decks)

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