Coasts - Coasts as natural systems Flashcards
What type of system is the coast?
An open system
What is an open system?
One which interacts strongly with other systems eg. sediment is often from rivers
What effect can feedbacks have on a system?
They 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?
- 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. Within 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 to decrease/decline)
What are some of the inputs into the coastal system?
-Energy
-Wind
-Precipitation
-Fluvial Sediment (from rivers)
(energy/material from elsewhere)
- Ocean currents
- Riptides (input energy)
What are some of the flows/transfers in the coastal system?
- Erosion
- Longshore drift
- Mass movement
