Coasts Flashcards
What’s the littoral zone?
Wider coastal zone including adjacent land areas and shallow parts of the sea just offshore
Features and processes at the backshore?
Features- Beaches, dunes, rockfalls
Processes- Atmospheric, sub aerial erosion, human activity
Features and processes at the foreshore?
Features- Inter tidal zone, sand ridges
Processes- Marine, wave tides, storm surges
Features and processes at the nearshore?
Features- Longshore bars, sand
Processes- Marine, waves, tides, storm surges
Features and processes at the offshore?
Features- Offshore sand
Processes- Marine, tides
Ways to classify coasts?
- Geology
- Energy
- Balance
- Sea level
- Formation processes
- Tidal range
What waves occur at low energy coasts?
- Less powerful
- Calmer conditions
- Short fetches
What waves occur at high energy coasts?
- More powerful
- Storm conditions
- Long fetches
What processes occur at low energy coasts?
- Deposition and transport
- Sediments from rivers, longshore drift
What processes occur at high energy coasts?
- Erosion and transport
- Sediments from eroded land, mass movement and weathering
What landforms are at low energy coasts?
- Beaches
- Spits
- Salt marshes
What landforms are at high energy coasts?
- Cliffs
- Wave cut platforms
- Arches
What is the general location of low energy coasts?
- Sheltered from large waves
- Lowland coasts
What is the general location of high energy coasts?
- Exposed to largest waves
- Rocky landscape
Example of a low energy coast?
- Mediterranean sea coasts
- East Anglican coast
