Coasts As A Natural System Flashcards
What type of system is a coast?
Open
What is an open system?
One which interacts strongly with other systems e.g sediment is often from rivers
What effect can feedback have on a system?
Feedback can increase or decrease available inputs or outputs as well as enabling equilibrium
When is a system in dynamic equilibrium?
When inputs and outputs of energy and matter are balanced
What type of events alter the coastline on a short term basis?
Storms
What can dynamic equilibrium be affected by over geological (longer) time periods? (4)
- Supply of sand
- Energy of the waves
- Sea level change
- Location of the shoreline
What is a landform?
Individual features which are created by coastal processes
What is a landscape?
the entire area of sea, coastline and immediate land behind the sea front washing the landscape are characteristic landforms
What are inputs?
things entering the system from outside sources/ systems
What are flows/ transfers?
processes of movement within a system
What are stores/ components?
Parts of a system not necessarily in motion
What are outputs?
Material/ energy moving out of a system
What are feedbacks?
Can be:
positive (leads to increase/ amplification) or
negative (leads top decrease/ decline)
What are some of the inputs into the coastal system? (4)
- Energy
- Wind
- Precipitation
- Fluvial sediment
What are some of the flows/ transfers in the coastal system? (5)
- Erosion
- LSD
- Mass movement
- Ocean currents
- Riptides
