coasts glossary Flashcards
The coast
The transition zone between the land and sea.
contains 2 parts:
onshore (extends up to 60km inland) offshore (extends 370km out to sea)
Wave fetch
How far a wave has travelled before it hits land
Prevailing wind
Main direction the wind blows in
Deposition
The laying down of material on the coast by the sea
Sub-aerial processes
The reshaping of land by normal atmospheric processes like wind and rain
Coastal retreat
When the erosion of the coastline causes the coast to ‘retreat’ or move back
Coastal ecosystems
A community of plants and animals which interact with eachother and their physical environment
Biome
A very large scale ecosystem/biotic unit that consists of vegetation and animal life that has developed in response to biotic factors like temperature and latitude
Biodiversity
The variety of plant and animal life in the world or a particular habitat
Biotic factors
The living elements of an ecosystem like plants and animals
Abiotic factors
The non-living elements of an ecosystem like climate, soil type, rock type, atmosphere, water activity
Geologic hazards
Naturally occurring events capable of causing loss or damage
Risk
The potential that the hazard will lead to a negative consequence such as loss of life or economic loss
Primary effect
Something that happens as a direct impact of an event/hazard itself
Secondary effect
As a result of the primary effect that happens later on
