Coasts key words Flashcards
Abrasion
A form of erosion where loose material and sediment erodes the walls and floor of the river cliff or glacier.
Backshore
The upper beach closest to the land including any cliffs or sand dunes
Bar
A section of sand caused by deposition
Beach morphology
The surface shape of the beach
Beach nourishment
The addition of sand and sediment to and eroding beach by humans.
Coastal recession
The retreat of a coastline due to erosion, sea level rise or submergence
Concordant coast
A coastline where bands of alternate geology run parallel to the coast
Corrasion
A form of mechanical erosion where material and sediment in the sea is flung at the cliff face as waves break against it
Corrosion
The weak acid in seawater and some types of seaweed react with particular rock minerals causing erosion and weakening
Dalmatian coast
A concordant coastline with several river valleys running perpendicular to the coast. These valleys become flooded duet sea level rise and produce long islands
Discordant coast
A coastline where bands of alternate geology run perpendicular to the shore
Dynamic equilibrium
A system where inputs and outputs are in balance.
Emergent coast
A coastline that is advancing relative to the sea level at the time
Estuary
The point at where the river meets an ocean. Sometimes they become exposed at low tide
Eustatic
Global changes to sea level
Fetch
The length of water over which the wind has travelled
Fjord
Long narrow inlet of sea water which is between steep mountains. They are created when sea levels rise relative to the land, flooding coastal glacial valleys.
Foreshore
The lower part of the beach covered at high tide
Freeze thaw
Long narrow inlet of sea water which is between steep mountains. They are created when sea levels rise relative to the land, flooding coastal glacial valleys.
Geology
The physical structure and arrangement of a rock
High energy coastline
A coast where wave action is predominantly large destructive waves, causing much erosion.
Hydraulic action
The pressure of compressed air forced into cracks in a rock face will cause the rock to weaken and break apart.
Isostatic
A local change in sea level due to a change in local coastline or land height
Littoral cell
An area of coastline which has all sediment processes occurring sources, transport and sinks. A littoral cell is not a closed system.
Longshore drift
The movement of material, such as sand and stones, along a coastline caused by the movement of waves.
Low-energy environment
A coast where wave action is predominantly small constructive waves. Deposition usually takes place leading to beach accretion.
Mass movement
Where there is a large downhill movement of material usually from a cliff-face. Here, the rock is often weak due to erosion and the movement is caused by gravity.
Nearshore
The area before the shore where the wave steepness and breaks before they reach the shore and then reform before breaking on the beach. It extends from the low-tide zone and then out to sea.
Ria
Narrow winding inlet which is deepest at the mouth, formed when sea levels rise causing coastal valleys to flood.
Saltation
A form of transportation where smaller sediment bounces along the sea bed pushed by currents. This sediment is too heavy to be picked up by the flow of the water.
Solution
Dissolved minerals are carried by the sea
Salt marsh
In sheltered bays or behind spits, salt and minerals will build up. Vegetation may establish, further stabilising the marsh.
Sediment cell
Sections of the coast bordered by prominent headlands. Within these sections, the movement of sediment is almost contained and the flows of sediment should act in dynamic equilibrium
Submergent coast
A coast that is sinking relative to the sea level at the time
