Glossary: The Coastal Zone Flashcards
Arch.
A headland that has been partly broken through by the sea to form a thin-roofed arch.
Attrition.
The knocking together of pebbles making them gradually smaller and smoother.
Backwash.
The backward movement of water down a beach when a wave has broken.
Bar.
A spit that has grown across bay trapping a freshwater lake or lagoon behind it.
Bay.
A broad coastal inlet often with a bay.
Beach.
A deposit of sand or shingle at the coast, often found at the head of a bay.
Beach depletion.
The loss of beach material e.g. By offshore dredging of shingle banks.
Cave.
A hollowed out feature at the case of an eroding cliff.
Constructive wave.
A powerful wave with a strong swash that surges up a beach.
Corrasion.
The effect of rocks being flung at the cliff by powerful waves.
Crest.
The top of a wave.
Abrasion.
The ‘sand papering’ effect of pebbles grinding over a rocky platform, often causing it to become smooth.
Destructive wave.
A wave formed by a local storm that crashes down onto a beach and has a powerful backwash.
Fetch.
The distance of open water over which the wind can blow.
Hard engineering.
Building artificial structures such as sea walls, aimed at controlling natural processes.
Headland.
A promontory of land jutting out into the sea.
Hydraulic power.
The sheer power of waves.
Longshore drift.
The transport of sediment ALONG a stretch of coastline, caused by the waves approaching the beach at the same angle as the prevailing wind.
Managed retreat.
Allowing the controlled flooding of low-lying coastal areas or cliff collapse to occur in areas where the value of the land is low.
Marine/coastal erosion.
The wearing away of land and the removal of beach or dune sediments by waves and tides.
Mass movement.
The downhill movement of material under the influence of gravity.
Pioneer plant.
The first plant species to colonise an area that is well adapted to living in a harsh environment.
Prevailing Wind.
Winds that blow predominately from a single direction.
Rockfall.
The collapse of a cliff face it the fall of individual rocks from a cliff.
Saltation.
A hopping movement of pebbles along the seabed.
Salt Marsh.
A low-lying coastal wetland mostly extending between high and low tide.
Shoreline Management Plan.
(SMP)
An integrated coastal management plan for a stretch of coastline in England and Wales.
Soft engineering.
A sustainable approach to managing the coast without using artificial structures.
Solution (erosion).
The dissolving of rocks,such as limestone and chalk.
Solution (transportation).
The transport of dissolved chemicals.
Spit
A finger of new land made of sand or shingle jutting out into the sea from the coast.
Stack.
An isolated pinnacle of rock sticking out of the sea.
Stump.
An eroded stack, exposed only at low tide and covered with water at high tide.
Suspension.
Lighter particles are carried within the water.
Swash.
The forward movement of a wave up a beach.
Traction.
Heavy particles are carried along the seabed.
Vegetation succession.
The sequence of vegetation colonising in an environment.
Wave-cut notch.
A small indentation (or notch) cut into a cliff roughly at the level of high tide, caused by concentrated marine erosion at this level.
Wave-cut platform.
A wide, gently sloping rocky surface at the foot of a cliff.
Weathering.
The disintegration or decay of rocks in their original place (in situ) at or close to the ground surface.
