Coasts - The Coastal System Flashcards
1
Q
Define dynamic equilibrium
A
When the inputs and outputs in a system are balanced
2
Q
What types of systems are coasts?
A
Open systems
3
Q
What is a coast?
A
Narrow zone where the land and sea overlap
4
Q
What are the stores in a coast?
A
Depositional landforms
Erosional landforms
5
Q
What are the inputs in a coast?
A
- energy - wind, waves, tides
- sediment - longshore drift
- geology of the coastline
- sea level changes
6
Q
What are the flows in a coast?
A
- weathering
- mass movement
- erosion
- deposition
- transportation
7
Q
Give an example of negative feedback in coasts?
A
- beach in equilibrium
- destructive waves erode the beach
- the eroded sediment in deposited offshore, to form offshore bars
- waves hit this offshore bar and lose their energy
- become constructive waves once they reach the beach, so they built it back up
8
Q
What are the outputs in a coast?
A
- dissipation of wave energy
- sediment leaving the coastline/sediment cell
- sediment accumulates beyond the tidal limit
9
Q
Give an example of positive feedback in coasts
A
- vegetation being trampled on by tourists
- leaves the sand exposed
- sand gets blown away by the wind
- new vegetation struggles to grow and cannot hold the sand together
10
Q
Describe the coastal/littoral zone
A
Backshore
- between the HWM and where marine activity stops
Foreshore
- between the HWM and LWM
Inshore
- between the LWM and where waves no longer have an impact on the seabed
Offshore
- waves have no impact on the seabed
(Nearshore is foreshore + inshore)
