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OCR A level Geography > Coasts KQ1- How can coastal landscapes be viewed as systems? > Flashcards

Coasts KQ1- How can coastal landscapes be viewed as systems? Flashcards

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1
Q

What kind of system is the coastal system?

A

an open system

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2
Q

Why is the coastal system considered to be an open system?

A

Energy and matter can be transferred both in and out

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3
Q

What are the 8 factors that interact to form a coastal landscape?

A
  • soils
  • air and climate
  • landforms
  • geology
  • wind
  • waves
  • tides and currents
  • humans
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4
Q

Define sediment cell

A

A stretch of coastline and its associated nearshore area within which the movement of course sediment, sand, and shingle is largely self-contained

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5
Q

What type of systems are sediment cells?

A

Closed systems however in reality it is likely they are completely closed

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6
Q

How many sediment cells are there around England and Wales?

A

11

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7
Q

What determines sediment cells?

A

Topography and shape of coastline (e.g lands end acts as a large natural barrier)

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8
Q

Name 3 inputs of energy into the coastal system

A
  • Winds
  • waves
  • solar sources
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9
Q

Name 4 sources of sediment inputted into the coastal system

A
  • oceans
  • rivers
  • cliffs
  • coastal areas further along the coast
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10
Q

Give two outputs of energy

A
  • heat

- noise

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11
Q

How is material outputted in the coastal system?

A

-it is moved to other parts of the coast and offshore

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12
Q

Give 6 examples of (geomorphic) processes

A
  • erosion
  • transportation
  • deposition
  • sedimentation
  • weathering
  • mass movement
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13
Q

Give 5 examples of stores

A
  • saltmarshes
  • mudflats
  • sand banks
  • beaches of varying material type
  • spits
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14
Q

Which 5 physical factors influence the coastal landscape?

A
  • winds
  • waves
  • tides
  • geology
  • ocean current circulation
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15
Q

Define erosion

A

the wearing away of material by the action of ice, wind, and water

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16
Q

Define weathering

A

The disintegration of rocks by the action of the weather, plants, animals, and chemicals in-situ

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17
Q

Define landform

A

A physical feature on the Earth’s surface

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18
Q

A range of sub-aerial and marine processes are responsible for coastal landforms. What factors determine the effectiveness of these processes?

A
  • Geology
  • Aspect
  • Wind
  • Sea level change
  • Climate
  • Time
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19
Q

How are winds important for landforms?

A

They:

  • form waves
  • erode landforms
  • transport and deposit materials
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20
Q

What are dominant winds?

A

-perpendicular to the coast, usually storm winds and the strongest winds

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21
Q

What are prevailing winds?

A

-the most common direction

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22
Q

3 factors that affect wave strength

A
  • strength of wind
  • length of time it blows for
  • distance which the wave has travelled
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23
Q

Define fetch

A

The distance the wind blows across the sea

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24
Q

Define swell

A

Where the waves first form initially in the ocean

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25
Q

Define swash

A

Where a wave washes up a beach

26
Q

Define backwash

A

Where a wave moves down a beach

27
Q

What sort of beaches do constructive waves tend to occur on?

Why?

A
  • beaches with a low angle/gradient

- because there is a wide area for the wave to move across and so energy soon dissipates

28
Q

What sort of beaches do constructive waves tend to occur on?

Why?

A
  • beaches with a steep gradient

- because energy is concentrated on a smaller area

29
Q

What are the key characteristics of constructive waves?

A
  • strong swash
  • weak backwash
  • a lot of peculation through sand
30
Q

What are the key characteristics of destructive waves?

A
  • weak swash
  • strong backwash
  • little peculation through sand
31
Q

What are the 4 factors that affect wave energy?

A
  • swell size and frequency (fetch/windspeed/distance travelled)
  • Tides
  • Local weather conditions
  • Form of the beach
32
Q

What are the 4 factors affecting waves in the ocean?

A
  • Storms (generate high energy waves)
  • Size of swell window
  • Sea floor gradient (shallow offshore gradients absorb wave energy and reduce wave height)
  • Fetch
33
Q

What is the swell window?

A

The amount of open ocean facing a stretch of coastline

34
Q

Give 2 examples of the landforms typically found on low energy coastlines

A
  • beaches

- spits

35
Q

Give 2 examples of the landforms typically found on high energy coastlines

A
  • headlands

- wave-cut platforms

36
Q

How do the rates of erosion and deposition differ between low and high energy coastlines?

A
  • at low energy coasts the rate of deposition exceeds the rate of erosion
  • whereas along high energy coastlines the rate of erosion exceeds the rate of deposition
37
Q

What is the promontory effect? What does this mean for the coastline?

A
  • Waves are refracted towards headlands

- Wave energy is concentrated on headlands rather than bays

38
Q

Why does the promontory effect occur?

A
  • water shallower at headlands than bays
  • shallower water means waves slow down more so refraction caused
  • refraction causes energy to be concentrated on headlands
39
Q

What do winds control?

A
  • fetch

- swell window

40
Q

Besides wave energy, what other factors may influence the development of landforms by erosion, transportation and deposition? (6)

A
  • beach slope
  • form of coastline
  • geology
  • sediment supply
  • sea level change
  • human acitivity
41
Q

Why do tides occur?

A

-they are the result of the gravitational attraction of the moon and sun

42
Q

How do spring tides compare with neap tides?

A

-spring tides are the highest tides whilst neap tides are the lowest tides

43
Q

Why are spring tides the highest?

A

-the sun, moon, and earth are all in alignment so there is an increased gravitational pull

44
Q

What is the Coriolis effect?

A

-the effect the of Earth’s rotation on air and water

45
Q

What 3 factors affect tidal range?

A

1- Coastal configuration (e.g in Liverpool the channel narrows causing funnelling
2- Water depth- a tidal wave can undergo refraction and focus on some stretches of coastline
3- Width of continental shelf, causes friction and increases wave height

46
Q

What direction does the ebb tide go?

A

Out

47
Q

What direction does the flood tide go?

A

In

48
Q

How do tidal ranges influence the landscape?

A
  • width of intertidal zone
  • location of wave activity
  • erosion, deposition, transportation
  • wetting and drying
49
Q

How does wetting and drying influence the landscape?

A
  • wet sand is less likely to blow away

- salting weathering is influenced by wetting and drying

50
Q

How would the UK be classified in regard to tidal range?

A

Macrotidal

51
Q

Define lithology

A

The chemical composition of the rock and the physical arrangement of its grains

52
Q

How can bedding planes, faults, and joints increase erosion of rock?

A
  • allows water into the rock
  • increases permeability
  • increases susceptibility to weathering (e.g freeze-thaw weathering)
  • therefore increasing erosion
53
Q

How can cementation affect rock?

A
  • poorly cemented rock is porous
  • also permeable along faults
  • surface area of rock exposed to weathering is increased
  • leads to weakening of the rock
54
Q

How can a discordant coastline lead to differential erosion?

A
  • lines of weakness exposed

- waves can actively select lines of weakness to erode

55
Q

Why are discordant coastlines less likely to be eroded?

A

-they have fewer lines of weakness exposed to wave action

56
Q

What causes permeability?

A

-the incidence of pores, fissures, cracks, and joints in rocks

57
Q

Why is rock hardness an important factor?

A
  • affects the ease of erosion

- affects the chances and time it takes for cliff recession

58
Q

What is differential erosion?

A

The process by which, due to different characteristics, rocks break down at different rates

59
Q

How does tidal range affect weathering?

A

-a larger tidal range means more time for weathering (e.g salt crystallisation)

60
Q

Define clastic

A

Small fragments of pre-formed rock

61
Q

Define crystalline

A

Composing of interlocking crystals

62
Q

Define rock

A

A mass of mineral matter

OCR A level Geography (31 decks)

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