Coasts Flashcards

1
Q

Name the 3 processes within the coastal system

A

Erosion, deposition, transportation

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2
Q

Outputs of the coastal system

A
Crack, cave, arch, stack, stump
Cliffs
Headlands and bays
Spits
Bars and tombolos
Sand dunes
Wave cut notches
Beaches 
Wave cut platforms
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3
Q

What is a sediment cell?

A

A well defined boundary in which sediment can be transported around and form a depositional landform

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4
Q

How does a high energy coastline differ from a low energy coastline?

A

High energy = lots of inputs, processes and outputs (destructive waves)

Low energy = not as much (constructive waves)

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5
Q

What 3 factors acquire the energy of a wave?

A
  1. The strength of the wind
  2. The length of time the wind is blowing
  3. The fetch (the distance of which the wind blows over)
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6
Q

Give me 6 features of constructive waves

A

Low energy, frequency, steepness and in proportion to length. Strong swash and weak backwash

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7
Q

Give me 6 features of destructive waves

A

High energy and frequency, steep gradient waves, tall waves with short wavelength, weak swash, strong backwash (beach erosion)

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8
Q

Name 3 types of soft engineering

A

Coastal zoning (marsh creation)
Dune regeneration
Beach nourishment

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9
Q

When would you use coastal zoning?

A

When the land has not already been developed as the land behind it has no economic value, meaning no need for expenses on coastal management

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10
Q

What is the role of beach nourishment

A

To replace the beach or cliff material that has been removed by erosion or LSD. It increases the size of beaches meaning that when waves come up the beach, they have no energy left to erode.

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11
Q

What is the role of dune regenerations ?

A

Involves creating new sand dunes or stabilising existing dunes so that they can act as a barrier between the land and the sea, absorbing storm and wave energy.

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12
Q

Give 4 advantages of beach nourishment

A

Sustainable, tourists, cheap, doesn’t change the natural environment

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13
Q

4 disadvantages of beach nourishment

A

High maintenance
Have to close beach
Disturb marine life

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14
Q

3 advantages of dune regeneration

A

Sustainable
Cheap
Creates habitats

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15
Q

A disadvantage of dune regeneration

A

Can be wiped out in storm surges or strong winds

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16
Q

3 advantages of coastal zoning

A

Costs nothing
Looks nice
Good environment

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17
Q

3 disadvantages of coastal zoning

A

Erosion continues
Cant use the land
Individual complaints - someone’s house may have to go

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18
Q

Why is soft engineering sustainable when hard engineering isn’t?

A

Although hard engineering by outcome is stopping erosion, it is not sustainable because you can’t physically stop erosion. Yet soft engineering reduces the impact of erosion

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19
Q

Why do spring and neap tide occur?

A

Spring tide happens when the gravitational pull from both the sun and the moon is aligned and therefore there is a compensatory bulge and tide is at its highest. Neap tide happens when the sun and the moon form a right angle which means there is less gravitational pull and there is the lowest tide range.

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20
Q

When does a storm surge occur?

A

When the tide is unusually high (higher than spring tide) due to storm conditions when the wind is so powerful

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21
Q

What is our case study for mass movement

A

Holbeck hall

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22
Q

What is sub-aerial weathering?

A

Weathering that takes place lower down the cliff, creating weak points for erosion to compress into the cliff and erode it more efficiently

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23
Q

What are the 3 sections in long profile of a beach

A

Nearshore, foreshore, backstory

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24
Q

Name the features of the beach in order from the backshore to the nearshore

A

Storm beach, berms, cusps, runnels, ripples.

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25
Q

What is a spit

A

A long narrow ridge of sand an shingle which is projected into the sea from the coastline. Behind it salt marshes can form.

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26
Q

What is our case study of a spit?

A

Spurn head at Holderness Coast

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27
Q

What is stopping the spit from continually growing until it reaches another headland or island?

A

A river estuary (current)

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28
Q

What is a salt marsh?

A

A low energy zone formed behind a spit, where deposition occurs.

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29
Q

How is a bar formed?

A

The same way as a spit, except it continues the process until it joins another headland. Or it can be formed by an offshore glacial deposit, where roll-over has caused material to be transported landward.

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30
Q

How is a tombolo formed?

A

Same as a spit, it just continues until it reaches an island.

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31
Q

Name the 4 types of transportation

A

Traction, saltation, suspension, solution

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32
Q

What are the new dunes called at the front of the beach?

A

Embryo / foredunes

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33
Q

What are the 4 factors needed to form a sand dune?

A

Sand
Wind
Plants
An obstacle to trap the sand

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34
Q

Why is the biggest dune called?

A

Yellow dune

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35
Q

Give 1 marine, atmospheric and human imput of the coastal system

A

Wave, tides or salt spray
Air pressure, sun, precipitation, wind speed
Pollution, recreation, settlement, defences

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36
Q

What is isostatic change?

A

The rise of land masses that were previously covered by ice sheets during the last ice age. This causes some land to be rising whilst others sinking. Sea level rise is localised and dependent on the change in the land

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37
Q

What is eustatic change?

A

Worldwide changes in sea level caused by glacial and interglacial periods.

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38
Q

What are the 2 factors that cause eustatic change?

A

Thermal expansion

Ice caps melting

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39
Q

What is thermal expansion ?

A

When water expands due to global warming

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40
Q

How is a fjord formed?

A

In mountainous areas, within U shaped valleys that have been carved by abrasion, there would have been a glacier connecting the high cliffs, as they melt, the water as well as the sea fills the valley floor

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41
Q

How is a ria formed?

A

During the last ice age when the sea level was lower. Now as sea levels rise, the valley now cuts below present sea level. After the ice melted etc, the valleys drowned leaving rias.

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42
Q

What is our case study for coastal flooding?

A

Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans

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43
Q

What’s our example for sea level rise?

A

The Maldives.

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44
Q

Give me examples of hard rock

A

Limestone or chalk or granite

45
Q

Give an example of soft rock

A

Clay or Flint

46
Q

Give physical causes of coastal erosion

A

Destructive waves - much more energy, huge height and steepness which covers more area of the cliff

Spring tide - high tide = bigger tidal range

47
Q

Where are headlands and bays found

A

Discordant coastlines (alternating layers of hard and soft rock)

48
Q

What processes are involved in headlands and bays?

A

Erosion and deposition (bays & beaches)

49
Q

What happens when waves refract around the headland

A

Destructive waves refract around the headland so there is more concentrated energy on the sides of the headland which creates other coastal landforms (crack cave arch etc)

50
Q

Give an example of a stack

A

Old Harry’s rock in the Isle of Purbeck within Dorset

51
Q

Where is a blowhole formed?

A

In a cave, needs specific conditions to occur & a high energy coastline (destructive waves and storms) also hard rock

52
Q

What processes are needed to form a blowhole?

A

Erosional - hydraulic action - compressed air

53
Q

Describe the formation of a blow hole

A

1) Sea moves in land erodes the crack/cave whilst weathering and erosion erodes the roof of the rock when sediment is picked up and a vertical shaft is eroded towards the surface.
2) waves crash into cave and reflect upwards and weathering continues on the top
3) this continues until water breaks through it when the waves crash and a blow hole is formed.

54
Q

Where do wave cut platforms form?

A

Between neap tide and spring tide

55
Q

Give an example of where a blowhole is found

A

North Coast of Barbados

56
Q

Give an example of where a wave cut platform is found

A

Flamborough head

57
Q

What is mass movement?

A

When the cliff collapses due to gravity

58
Q

Give an example of a mass movement event

A

Holbeck hall

59
Q

What is sub aerial weathering ?

A

The breaking down of rock at the top and middle of the cliff due to weathering

60
Q

What processes are involved with sub aerial weathering

A

Weathering and mass movement

61
Q

Name the 4 types of weathering

A

Freeze-thaw, exfoliation, biological and chemical

62
Q

What is freeze thaw?

A

Water gets into cracks in rocks, when it freezes it forces the rock apart. Happens in cold places

63
Q

What is biological weathering

A

Roots from plants, and animals burrow making cracks in the rocks. This makes rocks break apart

64
Q

What is chemical weathering

A

Acid rain that falls onto rock and dissolved it making it crumble away

65
Q

Exfoliation weathering

A

In hot places when rocks get hot in the day and cold at night, it makes the rock break of in layers

66
Q

What is the role of sub aerial weathering in coasts

A

Breaks down the cliffs and creates weak points for erosion to take place.

67
Q

Where are beaches typically formed?

A

At a bay

68
Q

What are the 3 sections of a beach

A

Back shore foreshore and nearshore

69
Q

What is found at the back shore

A

Larger materials like shingle that are deposited during storm surges

70
Q

What are features of the foreshore?

A

Between low and high tide. Swash zone

71
Q

What type of wave is found at a beach

A

Constructive

72
Q

Name 6 features of a beach (like landforms)

A

Storm beach, berms, cusps, ripples, runnels,

73
Q

What is a storm beach and where is it found?

A

A noticeable semi-permenant ridge at the backshore found at the level above highest spring tides (shingle)

74
Q

What is a cusp and whee is it found and how is it formed ?

A

Semi-circular embayments found in the shingle or at the shingle/sand junction. It is formed by a strong Swash which is channelled by the sides of the cusp, which then travels into the centre of the depression which therefore produces a stronger backwash and material is drafted back down the beach from the centre of the cusp.

75
Q

What, where and how is a berm formed

A

Smaller ridges that develop at the backshore at the mean high tide mark because of deposition. It is built up by successive levels of rides or storms. They are generally created by smaller waves which have less energy so the mateRial is smaller

76
Q

Where, what and how are ripples and runnels formed?

A

Ripples and runnels are small undulations and depressions in the sand formed at the nearshore, therefore the gradient is low and so depressions in the sand are left as tides go out, carrying water drainage off the beach. Runnels are formed here as there is no infiltration of the sand and so the runnels are left as small puddles on the flat beach .

77
Q

Give an example of a bar

A

Slapton sands in South Devon

78
Q

An example of a tombolo

A

Chesil beach in Dorset, southern England

79
Q

What a re the 3 types of transportation

A

Bedload, suspended load, and dissolved load

80
Q

What are the 2 types of rejuvenation

A

Isostatic and eustatic change

81
Q

What is isostatic change?

A

Slow movement of the rise of land mass on a localised scale. Causes either sea level rise or sea level fall .

82
Q

What is eustatic change?

A

World wide changes in sea level due to glacial and interglacial periods. It is cause by the melting of ice caps and thermal expansion

83
Q

What is a submergent landform ?

A

When the land is submerged by the water - caused by sea level rise

84
Q

What is a emergent landform?

A

When sea level falls and land is above the sea level

85
Q

What is a fjord?

A

A submergent landform featuring a long deep narrow inlet of the sea between two high cliffs. They become drowned as sea levels rise. It is a U shaped Valley. It is formed when by the glacier that carves the U shaped valley by abrasion and the glacier retreats rolling the valley fall with the sea water

86
Q

What is a ria?

A

A submergent landform formed as the ice caps melt causing sea level to rise and so now the valley cuts below the present sea level. After the ice melted, the valleys drowned leaving rias in hilly areas

87
Q

Name 4 submergent landforms

A

Fjord, rias, shingle ridge, drowned forest

88
Q

Name the 1 emergent landform

A

Raised beach

89
Q

Is hard engineering sustainable?

A

No because you can’t physically stop erosion

90
Q

What are groynes and what do they do?

A

Wooden barriers built at right angles to the beach and are designed to slow down LSD and build up a beach area. This increase the size of the beaches and therefore when the waves come up the beach, they have no energy left to erode

91
Q

What are gabions and what do they do?

A

Where rocks and boulders are encased in wired mesh. They absorb the energy from the waves.

92
Q

What is a sea wall and what does it do

A

Build on the inland part of the coast to reduce the effects of strong waves. A modern concrete sea wall is curved to reflect most of the waves energy back to sea. The wall acts as a barrier between the waves and the land to prevent erosion

93
Q

What is rock armour / rip rap and what does it do?

A

It is made by large rocks being piled/placed at the foot of the cliff (or even dune) to absorb some energy to limit erosion. The large rocks create a barrier between the waves and the land to prevent erosion.

94
Q

What is beach nourishment and what does it do?

A

It replaces beach or cliff material that has been removed by erosion or LSD. This repairs damage done to the beach and cliff areas. Like groynes, it increases the size of the beach and therefore when the waves come up the beach they have no energy left to erode.

95
Q

What is dune regeneration and how does it work

A

It involves artificially creating new sand dunes or stabilising existing dunes by fencing to help trap sand or planting marram grass. The dunes act as a barrier between land and sea, absorbing storm and wave energy.

96
Q

What is a revetment and what does it do

A

A revetment is a sloping feature which breaks up or absorbs the energy of waves while letting water and sediment pass through. It is a cheaper alternative to a sea wall. The sloping wall creates a barrier between the waves and land to limit erosion.

97
Q

Give advantages and disadvantages of sea walls

A

Advantages - the most effective, and can last a relatively long time (20-30 years) & you can build behind it

Disadvantages - the most expensive (£1 mill per km), constant need for repair so another method is needed as well. It’s also unsustainable and ugly

98
Q

Give advantages and disadvantages on revetments

A

Advantages - relatively cheap, use wood which is more natural and doesn’t look as bad, it’s also relatively effective

Disadvantages - needs constant maintenance as wood rots, can’t use them in tourist places and its unsustainable

99
Q

Advantages and disadvantages of gabions

A

Advantages - relatively cheap, they’re a good support for other hard engineerings

Disadvantages - unsustainable, not visually attractive, danger hazard for children (wires), not as effective as other hard engineerings

100
Q

Advantages and disadvantages of rock armour

A

Advantages - little environmental impact, extremely effective, easy to manage (add more rocks)

Disadvantages- high maintenance, expensive to get the rocks there, could be dangerous in tourist destinations

101
Q

Advantages and disadvantages of groynes

A

Advantages - creates a big beach = good for tourists, may get cost back through tourism, wooden = more pleasing & also effective

Disadvantages - creates erosion further down the beach - disrupts sediment cells and could stop the development of a depositional landform

102
Q

Advantages and disadvantages of beach nourishment

A

Advantages - sustainable, cheap, doesn’t change the natural environment, good for tourism

Disadvantages - high maintenance (need to continually top it up), have to close the beach, could be disturbing marine life

103
Q

Advantages and disadvantages of dune regeneration

A

Advantages- sustainable, cheap and creates habitats

Disadvantages - can be wiped out in storm surges or strong winds

104
Q

Advantages and disadvantages of marsh creation or managed retreat

A

Advantages - costs nothing, looks nice and it’s good for the environment

Disadvantages - erosion proceeds, can’t use the land - shortages of houses, individuals - someone’s house may have to go

105
Q

What is beach recycling?

A

Bulldozers dig up sand at East and transfer it to west so that LSD can work its way back over again

106
Q

What is beach re profiling

A

Changing the gradient of the beach to the best one for absorbing wave energy

107
Q

Give 2 positives and 3 negatives of beach re profiling

A

+ve - reflects wave energy and looks natural
-ve - during storms, destructive waves drag sediment back down beach meaning that it is more vulnerable to erosion as there is less beach protecting it.
It is noisy and scares wildlife
Needs constant maintenance and re profiling

108
Q

Give 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of beach recycling

A

+ve - no material is needed to be dredged from the sea
-beach has an even profile and so is not subject to wave attack

  • ve - has to be carried out 3 times a year which is expensive
  • Large trucks disturb wildlife and puts off tourists - economic impact