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Coasts Flashcards

1
Q

waves

A

water that is created into waves through friction from prevailing winds

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2
Q

backwash

A

waves as they go back from the beach at a 90* angle

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3
Q

swash

A

waves as they go onto the beach

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4
Q

fetch

A

the distance of sea between one land form and the next

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5
Q

constructive wave

A

builds up beaches and has a strong swash and weak backwash to bring sediment onto the beach, it is low energy

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6
Q

destructive wave

A

destroys beaches and has a strong backwash and weak swash to carry sediment away, it is high energy

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7
Q

breaking wave

A

where the height reaches the critical level and where the water piles over the top because the momentum is built up and then stopped by friction which makes it break

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8
Q

mechanical weathering

A

the disintegration of rocks, where this happens there will be piles of rocks by the cliff

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9
Q

freeze thaw

A

when water gets into cracks in the rocks then freezes which means the water expands making the crack bigger, this repeats until the rock breaks apart

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10
Q

salt weathering

A

sea water contains salt, when this evaporates it leaves the salt crystals behind which grow and expand putting pressure on the rock and making it flake away

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11
Q

chemical weathering

A

where acid rain corrodes the alkali rock

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12
Q

carbonation

A

an example of chemical weathering, dissolved co2 from the atmosphere makes rainwater slightly acidic which dissolves the alkali rocks

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13
Q

biological weathering

A

due to actions of flora and fauna such as plant roots growing in cracks and animals burrowing in the holes

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14
Q

weathering

A

the earring away of rock without it being removed

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15
Q

mass movement

A

the downward movement of sliding of material under the influence of gravity

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16
Q

rock fall

A

fragments of rock break away from the cliff face, often from freeze thaw, fast and dry

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17
Q

landslide

A

blocks of rock slide down the hill, slow and dry

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18
Q

mudflow

A

saturated soil and weak rock flow down a slope, fast and wet

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19
Q

rotational slides

A

slump of saturated soil and weak rock along a curved slip plain

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20
Q

erosion

A

wearing away of rock and being taken away, high energy

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21
Q

hydraulic action

A

the motion of air being forced into cracks by waves which then forces the cracks to grow

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22
Q

abrasion

A

the rocks are carried and rub against the cliff like sandpaper

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23
Q

corrasion

A

rocks are carried and thrown at the cliff which gouges out holes

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24
Q

solution/corrosion

A

soluble chemicals are dissolved

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25
attrition
the rocks knock against each other as they are transported which makes them smaller and smoother/rounder
26
cavitation
explosive force of air in the crack
27
transportation
how the rocks are carried, normally high energy
28
traction
rolling the rocks
29
saltation
bouncing
30
suspension
carried along on top
31
solution
dissolved in the water
32
deposition
when the load is put down, requires little to no energy
33
longshore drift
the movement of sediment along the coastline due to the swash at an angle and backwash at 90* to the beach
34
wave refraction
friction with the sea bed makes the waves refract so the energy is concentrated on headlands and reduced around bays
35
landform
feature on the earths surface that is part of the terrain
36
resistant rock
rock that erodes slower such as chalk, also known as hard rock
37
geological structure
the result of powerful tectonic forces, and the plates moving
38
relief
the difference between the highest and lowest elevations in the area
39
concordant coastline
where the bands of rock are parallel to the coastline
40
discordant coastline
where the bands of rock are perpendicular to the coastline
41
faults
a fracture in rock where there has been movement and displacement such as between two different tectonic plates
42
headlands
on a discordant coastline where an area of hard rock sticks out because it has been slower to erode
43
bays
on a discordant coastline where an area of soft rock has been eroded quicker so forms a beach or sheltered land that we call a bay
44
cliffs
a sheer drop of rock formed when rock has been eroded away
45
wave cut platform
the narrow flat area often found at the base of a sea cliff that was created by the erosion of waves
46
cave
when rock is eroded on a headland it can create a cave
47
arches
these are caves that have been eroded further and go all the way through the headland
48
stacks
when the arch collapses a stack of rock is left
49
stumps
when the stack is eroded further you end up with a stump of rock which will eventually be eroded into nothing
50
beaches
areas in bays or on the coastline where sediment has been deposited
51
sand dunes
hill of loose sand build up by the wind carrying the sediment and depositing it
52
spits
an extended area of beach material that only joins the mainland at one end. it is the continuation of longshore drift
53
salt marsh
formed in the sheltered area behind the spit it is created when silt is deposited as there aren't any waves to carry it away
54
swash zone
the zone of wave action on the beach
55
pioneer plant
species that are the first to colonise disrupted ecosystems and stabilise the ground so that other plants can grow
56
embryo dune
1) the smallest dune at the first row after the sea where only pioneer plants can grow
57
fore dune
2) slightly bigger than embryo with some organic matter (humus)
58
yellow dune
3) larger than a fore dune it starts to hold more life from the humus like heather
59
grey dune
4) even bigger than a yellow dune marram grass can grow and trap the sand in the long roots
60
mature dune
5) the dunes are fully stabilised and can grow more organic matter and a lower salt content so larger species like elm trees can grow
61
dune slack
areas between the dunes which are sheltered so water sometimes settles here
62
recurved tip
occurs at the end of a spit where the wind direction changes slightly and makes the sediment deposition happen in a different direction which curves it
63
longshore bar
where the spit continues across to block off the whole of the bay
64
surf zone
area affected by the waves
65
updrift
from direction of wind
66
downdrift
where the wind is going to
67
tombolo
a spit that connects an island to the mainland
68
hard engineering
management strategies to protect the coastline that involve bringing something new onto the beach that is man made such as gab ions, sea walls, groins and rock armour often more expensive than soft engineering
69
soft engineering
management strategies to protect the coastline that have less of an impact on the environment and are more natural such as managed retreat, beach reprofiling, beach nourishment and dune regeneration cheaper
70
managed retreat
allowing a section of land to flood so that other areas don't, these can be recreational grounds but can cause conflict
71
groynes
barriers that capture the sediment that is transported through longshore drift so the beach is widened which protects the cliffs, they are cheap but deprive other beaches of sediment and are easily destroyed
72
sea wall
very expensive concrete wall that takes the waves force and has a curved face to reflect them, it acts as a flood barrier but needs maintaining and can destroy the beach by creating a strong backwash
73
rock armour/ rip rap
rocks placed on a beach which force the waves to break and absorb their energy which protects the cliffs needs to be replaced but isn't too expensive
74
gabions
cages of rock that absorb the waves energy, cheap and efficient but have a short lifespan
75
reprofiling
changing the beaches slope which changes the rate of erosion, very easy and adaptable but can damage ecosystems and has to be retouched regularly
76
beach nourishment
works with natural processes adding sediment to the beach and sea floor, creates wider beaches but can kill moronisms and very expensive in the long run
77
dune regeneration
artificially creating new dunes to act as a buffer which absorb storm and wave energy but could be threatened by human activity

Geography (10 decks)

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