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Geography Coasts Key Terms > Key Terms Coasts > Flashcards

Key Terms Coasts Flashcards

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1
Q

What’s the order of the littoral zone?

A

Offshore, near shore, foreshore, back shore.

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2
Q

Concordat coastline? What’s formed?

A

Rock layers parallel - coves form.

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3
Q

Discordant coastline? What’s formed?

A

Rock layers perpendicular- headlands form creating bays

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4
Q

Haff coastline?

A

Lagoons found behind deposits parallel to the coast (concordant)

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5
Q

Lithology (rock)

A

Rock types and their general characteristics

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6
Q

Subaerial processes?

A

Weathering and mass movement (they weaken rock, allowing erosion to take place more easily)

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7
Q

Plant succession?

A

The change to a plant community because the growing conditions have changed enough, due to other plants, to allow new plants to grow there and take over.

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8
Q

Flocculation

A

Tiny clay particles stuck to one another.

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9
Q

Brackish water?

A

Slightly salty water

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10
Q

Salt marshes

A
  • Common in low energy environments of estuaries and sheltered bays.
  • Salt marshes found where rivers deposit sediment on the edges of estuaries.
  • Pioneer plants trap more sediment to grow the sal marsh and let more plants grow.
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11
Q

Sand dunes

A
  • vegetation captures sand that’s blown towards the land.
  • embryo dunes establish and collect more sand.
  • dunes grow larger
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12
Q

Yellow dunes

A

Highest type of dune, have marram grass on top.

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13
Q

Slacks (dunes)

A

Dips in the sand dunes

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14
Q

Destructive waves

A
  • Wave angle 120°
  • 13-15 per minute
  • more common than constructive waves
  • stronger backwash than swash
  • removed sediment
  • circular movement
  • steep beach
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15
Q

Constructive wave

A
  • stronger awash than backwash
  • 6-8 per minute, less common
  • Deposit sediment
  • elliptical shape
  • gentle sloping beach
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16
Q

Hydraulic action

A

Water forces air into rock cracks, causing the rock to shatter when the waves falls down.

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17
Q

Corrosion

A

CO2 dissolves in sea water and this can dissolve rocks such as limestone.

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18
Q

Abrasion

A

Destructive waves repeatedly throw sand and rocks at the cliff face and hit the cliff themselves, causing it to wear away.

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19
Q

Attrition

A

Rocks and pebbles hit are moved around by waves and hit each, causing them to become small and round.

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20
Q

Wave cut notch

A

Destructive waves reach the base of a cliff, hydraulic action and abrasion cause it to wear away, leaving a notch.

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21
Q

Wave cut platform

A

Base of cliff eroded, gravity makes it collapse, leaving sloping rock in between high and low tide levels. -coastal recession.

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22
Q

Order of cave, arch…

A

Crack, cave, arch, stack, stump.

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23
Q

Longshore drift

A

Ideally 30° swash that pushes sediment onto the beach, 90° backwash pulls sediment back along with gravity, this occurs until a natural obstacle (bay), or artificial obstacle (GROYNE).

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24
Q

Beach morphology

A

Surface shape of a beach.

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25
Q

Offshore bar

A

Destructive waves break before reaching the beach, and throw material into a heap near the shore.

26
Q

Barrier beach

A

a sand ridge that rises slightly above the surface of the sea and runs roughly parallel to the shore

27
Q

Spit

A

an extended stretch of beach material that projects out to sea and is joined to the mainland at one end.

28
Q

Tombolo

A

Narrow ridge of sand linking an island to the mainland.

29
Q

Headland

A

Part of the coast that extends further out to sea than the coast.

30
Q

Cuspate foreland

A

Low lying headland. Formed when longshore drift happens in opposite directions, forming two spits that meet.

31
Q

Sediment cell(littoral cell)

A

Part of a coast that is linked together by all of the processes (cliff erosion, longshore drift).

32
Q

Positive and Negative feedback

A

A natural system may cause a change that is exaggerated or dampened in the future - e.g: rockfall protects base of cliff from erosion.

33
Q

Weathering

A

Wind, rain- cause weakness in rocks

34
Q

Mass movement

A

Rockslides.

35
Q

Eustatic change

A

Change in sea level

36
Q

Isostatic change

A

Change in land level

37
Q

Emergent coastline

A

Result of isostatic rebound (land rises up).

- can make raised beaches

38
Q

Submergent coastline

A

Result of isostatic sinking.

39
Q

Ria

A

Flooded RIVER valley. Frozen floor made water erode sides, creating steep sides.

40
Q

Fjord

A

Flooded GLACIATED valley. Glaciers eroded U-shaped valley, ice melted and sea levels rose, causing the valley to flood.

41
Q

Fjärd

A

Flooded inlet with low rocky banks formed by post glacial drowning.

42
Q

Dalmatian coast

A

Concordat coastline

43
Q

Thermal expansion

A

Heat causes water particles to expand, meaning sea levels rise

44
Q

Dredging

A

Removing sand and gravel from the sea bed (used to deepen the sea for ports)

45
Q

Storm surge

A

Low pressure causes a dome of water to rise up. This then surges ashore when the low pressure area moved ashore.

46
Q

Hard engineering

A
  • Don’t work with the environment
  • high cost
  • don’t last long
  • more effective than soft
  • very visible
47
Q

Soft engineering

A
  • Work with environment
  • cheaper
  • last longer
  • not always visible
48
Q

Groynes

A

Barrier to longshore drift.

49
Q

Sea walls

A

Stop waves.

50
Q

Rip-rap

A

Granite boulders that break up waves.

51
Q

Revetments

A

Parallel sloped wooden walls that slow waves down.

52
Q

Offshore breakwaters (reefs)

A

Rock boulders in the WATER that break waves up and slow them down.

53
Q

Gabions

A

Pebbles in wire baskets that break up waves.

54
Q

Beach nourishment

A

Replaces beach sediments that have gone.

55
Q

Cliff regrading

A

Makes dangerous cliffs safe by cutting them back.

56
Q

Cliff drainage

A

Drain water out of unstable cliffs to stabilise them.

57
Q

Dune stabilisation

A

Stabilising dunes through re plantation and geofabrics.

58
Q

Managed retreat

A

An area set aside for the sea to flood.

59
Q

Cost benefit analysis (CBA)

A

Comparing the cost of coastal defences with the value of the land.

60
Q

Environmental impact assessment (EIA)

A

Looks at the impact on the environment of decisions.

Geography Coasts Key Terms (1 decks)

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