Costal systems and landscapes Flashcards
Abrasion
A form of erosion where loose material ‘sandpapers’ the walls and floors of the river, cliff or glacier.
Backshore
The upper beach closest to the land, including any cliffs or sand dunes.
Beach Morphology
The surface shape of the beach
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.
Dalmation coast
A concordant coastline with several river valleys running perpendicular to the coast. They become flooded to produce long islands and long inlets.
DEFRA’s 1:1 cost-benefit analysis
the evaluation of a coastal town’s economic value compared to the coast of the management required.
Discordant coast
A coastline where bands of alternate geology run perpendicular to the shore
dynamic equilibrium
where a natural system tries to achieve a balance by making constant changes in response to a constantly changing system.
Emergent coast
A coastline that is advancing relative to the sea level at the time
eustatic
global changes to sea levels
foreshore
the lower part of the beach covered twice a day at high tide (the part of the beach that receives the most regular wave action)
freeze thaw
a form of physical sub-aerial weathering where water freezes in the cracks of a rock, expands and enlarges the crack, therefore weakens the rock
geology
the structure and arrangement of a rock
glacial erosion
the removal of loose material by glacier ice, involving plucking, abrasion, crushing and basal meltwater
high energy environment
a coast where wave action is predominantly large destructive waves, causing much erosion
isostatic
a change in local coastline or land height relative to the sea level
littoral cell
a section of the coast, within which involves much sediment movement. A littoral cell is not a closed system.
plant succession
change to a plant community due to growing conditions adapting (e.g., sand dunes and salt marshes)
subaerial processes
the combination of mass movement and weatherig that affects the coastal land above sea
submergent coast
a coast that is sinking relative to the sea level at the time
till
deposits of angular rock fragments in a finer medium
corrasion
A form of erosion when breaking waves fling material (rocks, sediment, shells. etc) at
a cliff face, physically knocking off material.
corrosion
The acid in seawater and some types of seaweed attacks particular rock minerals,
causing erosion and weakening.
fetch
The distance the wave travels before it reaches the coastline. Distance to the nearest land
mass in the direction in which the wave travels.
fjord
Long narrow inlet deeper in the middle section than at the mouth, created when sea levels
rise relative to the land, flooding coastal glacial valleys.
hydraulic action
The pressure of compressed air forced into cracks in a rock face will cause the
rock to weaken and break apart.
Integrated coastal zone managment (ICZM)
Large sections of coastline (often sediment cells) are managed with one integrated strategy and management occurs between different political boundaries.
longshore drift
The transportation of sediment along a beach. Longshore Drift is determined by
the direction of the prevailing wind.
low-energy environment
A coast where wave action is predominantly small constructive waves, causing deposition and leading to beach accretion.
mass movement
The falling or movement of rock, often due to 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
Smaller sediment bounces along the sea bed, being pushed by currents.The sediment
is too heavy to be picked up by the flow of the water.
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.
sediment budget
Use data of inputs, outputs, stores and transfers to assess the gains and
losses of sediment within a sediment cell.
SMP
Identifies all of the activities, both natural and human which occur within the coastline area
of each sediment cell and then recommends a combination of four actions for each stretch of that coastline: Hold the Line, Advance the Line, Managed Realignment and No Active Intervention.
wave quarrying
When air is trapped and compressed against a cliff which causes rock
fragments to break off the cliff over time.
