EQ1:coastal processes

Question 1

Definition of the coast

Answer 1

Boundary zone where the land and sea meet, and where both marine and terrestrial processes operate and interact.

Question 2

Definition of littoral zone.

Answer 2

Wider coastal zone that includes the adjacent land areas and shallow parts of the sea close to the shore.

Question 3

Definition of dredging.

Answer 3

Removal of bottom layer of river/coast.

Question 4

What is the key feature of the coast subzone?* see diagram

Answer 4

Land adjacent to the sea and often heavily populated and urbanised.

Question 5

What are the key features of the backshore?

Answer 5

Above high tide level and only affected by waves during exceptionally high tides and major storms.
Mostly above the influence of waves.

Question 6

What are the key features of the foreshore?

Answer 6

Where wave processes occur between the high and low tide marks.
The inter-tidal or surf zone.

Question 7

What is the key feature of the nearshore?

Answer 7

Shallow water areas close to land and used extensively for fishing, coastal trade and leisure.

Question 8

What are the key features of the offshore?

Answer 8

The open sea.

Beyond the influence of waves.

Question 9

What are the natural processes that cause the coast to be described as a dynamic zone of rapid change?

Answer 9

Inputs of sediment from the sea from rivers flowing off the land
weathering
erosion
constructive/destructive waves
deposition
mass movement
LSD
tidal range-determining wave action.

Question 10

What are the human activities that cause the coastline to be described as a dynamic zone of rapid change?

Answer 10

Dredging in rivers/offshore for sand
Building of coastal defenses-erosion/flooding
Leisure activities.

Question 11

What are the inputs that cause a coastline to be a system?

Answer 11

Marine-waves,tides, storm surges.
Atmospheric-weather/climate, climate change, solar energy
Land-rock type and structure, tectonic activity.
People-human activity, coastal management.

Question 12

What are the processes that cause a coastline to be a system?

Answer 12

Weathering-wearing away of material
Mass movement-movement of surface material.
Erosion-wearing away of material
Transport-movement of sediment.
Deposition-dropping off sediment.

Question 13

What are the outputs that cause a coastline to be a system?

Answer 13

Erosional landforms-arch, stack, stump, headland, bay.
Depositional landforms-spits, tombolos, beaches.
Different types of coasts-rocky shores, sandy beaches, coastal wetlands, coral reefs.

Question 14

What short-term factors lead to a change in the littoral zone?

Answer 14

Individual waves, daily tides, seasonal storms.

Question 15

What long term factors lead to a change in the littoral zone?

Answer 15

Change in sea levels, climate change.

Question 16

What are characteristics of a cliffed/rocky coast?

Answer 16

Transition from land to sea is abrupt. At low tide the foreshore zone is exposed as a rocky platform (wave-cut platform). The cliffs are vertical, but cliff angles can be much lower. Geology is varied.

Question 17

What are characteristics of sandy coastlines?

Answer 17

Sand dunes fringe many coastal plains. At high tide sandy beach is inundated, but the vegetated dunes are not. Dune vegetation plays crucial role in stabilising coast and preventing erosion.

Question 18

What are characteristics of estuarine coastlines?

Answer 18

Found at mouths of river, extensive mud flats, cut by channels, are exposed at low tide but inundated at high tide. Closer to backshore mud flats are vegetated, forming a salt marsh. This type of coastline gradually transitions from land to sea.

Question 19

What is a primary coast?

Answer 19

Coasts that are dominated by land-based processes such as deposition at the coast from rivers or new coastal land formed lava flows.

Question 20

What is a secondary coast?

Answer 20

Coasts that are dominated by marine erosion or deposition processes.

Question 21

What factors can be used to classify a coastline?

Answer 21

Relative sea level change, geology, tidal range, short/long term changes, wave energy, concordant/discordant, formation processes.

Question 22

What are short/ long term changes of a coast?

Answer 22

wave energy in tides/river. Geology changes in sea level isostatic.

Question 23

What is an emergent coast?

Answer 23

Where coast are rising relative to sea levels and/or subsiding land.

Question 24

What is a submergent coast?

Answer 24

Being flooded by sea, either due to rising sea levels and/or subsiding land.

Question 25

What is the definition of a high energy wave?

Answer 25

Exposed coasts, facing prevailing winds with long wave fetches resulting in powerful waves.

Question 26

What is the definition of a low energy wave?

Answer 26

Sheltered coast with limited fetch and low wind speeds resulting in small waves.

Question 27

What happens where marine erosion by wave action dominates the coastline occurs?

Answer 27

Cliffs are steep, unvegetated and is little in way between rock debris and cliff, as is quickly broken up by erosion and transported away.

Question 28

What happens where marine erosion by wave action doesn’t dominate the coastline?

Answer 28

Have shallower curved profiles and longer relief. Sub-ariel processes of surface runoff erosion and mass movement slowly move rock and sediment downslope, due to limited marine wave erosion means is not removed.