Geography EQ 1 (Coast) Flashcards
Define coast
A coast is a zone where the land meets and interacts with the sea.
what are the parts on a coast?
- foreshore
- backshore
- offshore
- berm
- cliff
- wave-cut platform
Factors that affect coastal environmental dynamics
- waves
- tides and sea level changes
- currents
- geology
- types of ecosystem
- human activites
define wave
a wave is a rising and falling movement of the water surface that is usually produced by winds blowing across the sea
what does tides affect
processes like coastal erosion, sediment transportation and deposition
define current
a large scale, continuous movement of water in seas
define geology
the arrangement and composition of rocks found in the area
how are waves formed
formed when wind blows over the surface of the ocean . teh friction from the wind causes the water particles near the surface to move in an orbit
crest (parts of a wave)
highest part of a wave
trough (parts of a wave)
lowest part of a wave
wave height (parts of a wave)
verticle distance between the crest and the trough
wavelength (parts of a wave)
the horizontal distance from crest to crest, trough to trough
wave steepness (parts of a wave)
the ration of wave height to wavelength (height/wavelength)
wave period (parts of a wave)
the time waves take to travel through 1 wavelength
wave frequency (parts of a wave)
the no. of wave crests and troughs that pass a fixed point in 1 second
Factors affectig wave energy
- wind speed
- length of fetch
- wind duration
wind speed (Factors affectig wave energy)
greater the wind speed, greater the wave energy
length of fetch + define fetch (Factors affectig wave energy)
fetch - lenth of open water over which the win can blow unobstructed
longer fetch = more energy can be transferred as wind will be able to blow over for a longer period of time
Greater the fetch, the more energy the wave has
wind duration (Factors affectig wave energy)
the longer the wind blows, the more energy waves have
characteristics of waves in the open ocean (Movements of waves)
- long wavelength and low wave height
- water particles move in an orbit
- there is less orbit motion in deeper water