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Geography > P1C Rivers and Coasts (Physical Landscapes UK) > Flashcards

P1C Rivers and Coasts (Physical Landscapes UK) Flashcards

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1
Q

Describe river erosion processes (4)

A
  • hydraulic action- erosive force exerted by water
  • attrition - sediment particles knock against each other and break into smaller/more-rounded pieces
  • abrasion - river bedload grinds against the bed+sides
  • solution - minerals dissolved into water
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2
Q

Describe river transportation processes (4)

A
  • traction - larger boulders/stones roll along river bed
  • saltation - stones bounce along river bed
  • suspension - smaller clay/silt/sand particles are carried without contact with river bed
  • solution - dissolved minerals carried in water
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3
Q

Define deposition

A

when a river loses its energy or volume, resulting in materials being transported to settle

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4
Q

Define the two types of river channel erosion

A
  • lateral - widens river channel
  • vertical - deepens river channel
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5
Q

describe the long profile of a river in the upper course

A
  • (erosion) mostly vertical erosion by hydraulic action+ abrasion
  • (transport) mostly traction - large boulders moved
  • (deposit) - largest boulders deposited
  • steep gradient at the source
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6
Q

describe the long profile of a river in the lower course

A
  • (erosion) very little erosion - only lateral erosion on outside of river bends
  • (transport) mostly suspension - lots of small particles
  • (deposit) deposition mainly occurs here
  • flat gradient, reduces quickly in height as slope reduces
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7
Q

Describe the cross profile of a river in the upper course

A
  • (channel) narrow and shallow
  • (valley) clear v-shaped valley
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8
Q

Describe the cross profile of a river in the lower course

A
  • (channel) wider and deeper
  • (valley) widened, flood plains at sides of river
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9
Q

Describe how a waterfall forms

A
  • river flows over hard rock
  • hydraulic action+ abrasion erodes soft rock underneath
  • hard rock cap layer/overhang collapses into plunge pool
  • hydraulic action+ abrasion+ attrition cause particles to become smaller and are washed downstream by traction+ saltation+ suspension
  • as the waterfall retreats up river it leaves behind a steep vertical-sided gorge
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10
Q

describe gorges

A
  • very steep valley sides
  • river channel takes up most of valley floor
  • turbulent, fast-flowing water
  • boulders in river bed
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11
Q

describe interlocking spurs

A
  • steep sides
  • winding river
  • narrow valley floor
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12
Q

describe how meanders form + properties

A
  • river flows faster on outside of bend due to centrifugal force - results in erosion (hydraulic action/abrasion/attrition) on outer bank + undercuts to create a river cliff
  • deposition occurs in slow-moving water on inside of bend - slip-off slope of sand+shingle forms
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13
Q

describe how oxbow lakes form

A
  • caused by continuous erosion of outer bank of a meander
  • river eventually cuts through narrow neck
  • deposition isolates a portion of the river as an oxbow lake
  • over time may infill with sediment to form a scar
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14
Q

describe how levees and flood plains form

A
  • during a flood the heaviest/most coarse sediment is deposited at sides close to river as more difficult to transport - forms levees
  • finest sediment is carried further+ deposited to form a flat flood plain
  • river bed deposits build up+ raise the level of the river - increases chance of a flood
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15
Q

describe tidal estuaries

A
  • formed by the sea level rising+ filling an existing river valley
  • river carries sediment downstream+ deposits it at lower course of the river as it stops flowing when it reaches the sea
  • mud flats form at bottom of estuary bed - visible at low tide
  • sand bars form due to the deposition
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16
Q

describe the use of dams and reservoirs

A

regulate the water flow and hold back the water in a reservoir

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17
Q

describe the use of channel straightening

A

a meandering section of a river is engineered to be wider and straighter, shortens distance water travels and speeds water away from vulnerable areas (cities)

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18
Q

describe the use of embankments

A

raising the banks of either side of the river channel (sometimes covered in grass/flowering plants)

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19
Q

describe the use of flood relief channels

A

an extra channel bypasses and adds capacity to the main river, controlled by a weir/flood gate

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20
Q

describe benefits and costs of dams/reservoirs

A

/ boosts tourism, highly effective, provides hydroelectric power, source of drinking water, new habitats
X flooding valley above dam displaces people, expensive, interferes with migration of fish, can destroy habitats, have to be dredged

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21
Q

describe benefits and costs of channel straightening

A

/ moves water away more quickly/ improves efficiency, makes boat navigation easier, home owners no longer worry about flooding so invest in properties
X habitats destroyed, can cause flooding lower downstream, expensive, may use unattractive concrete linings

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22
Q

describe benefits and costs of embankments

A

/ cheaper than other hard engineering, provides habitats, used for walking paths, increases river’s carrying capacity
X if breached water lies on surrounding land, needs continual maintenance, access to river is difficult for fishing/boating

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23
Q

describe benefits and costs of flood relief channels

A

/ moves water away more quickly, home owners no longer worry about flooding so invest in properties, new habitats created
X habitats changed/destroyed, can cause flooding lower downstream, expensive, take a long time to build

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24
Q

describe causes of flooding (4)

A
  • prolonged/heavy rainfall - soil becomes saturated leading to runoff
  • geology - impermeable rocks cause surface runoff, increases river discharge
  • relief - steep-sided valleys cause water to flow quickly into rivers causing greater discharge
  • land use - impermeable building materials (tarmac/concrete) prevent infiltration+ cause surface runoff
25
Q

describe the uses and pros/cons of flood plain zoning (soft engineering for floods)

A

process of stopping land near river from being built on
/ low cost, preserves green spaces, reduces amount of impermeable surfaces
X housing shortage (fewer places to build)

26
Q

describe the uses and pros/cons of flood warnings (soft engineering for floods)

A

warnings give people time to move possessions+ evacuate
/ very cheap, people+properties can be saved
X only effective if people respond

27
Q

describe ways to prepare houses for floods (7)

A
  • raise properties off ground
  • tiled floors
  • flood guards at doors
  • waterproof coatings
  • raised power sockets
  • wall-mounted tvs
  • no fitted carpets
28
Q

describe the uses and pros/cons of planting trees (soft engineering for floods)

A

increases interception+evaporation+ transpiration+filtration, reduces run-off
/ more carbon dioxide absorbed, adds variety to landscape
X loss of grazing land

29
Q

describe the uses and pros/cons of river restoration

A

a river that has previously been hard engineered is restored to a natural channel
/ new wetland habitats, slows down water flow and keeps it in the area for longer - reduces flooding, aesthetically pleasing
X loss of extra farm land

30
Q

describe the location of a UK town at risk of flooding and its causes of flooding (5) (case study)

A

Boscastle, north coast of Cornwall
* torrential rain/storm - 200mm rain fell in 24hrs - ground is saturated so increases runoff
* trees were cut down - increases runoff
* small drainage basin - water reaches town quicker
* steep v-shaped valley sides - fast water velocity
* settlements built downstream on narrow flood plain

31
Q

describe the impacts of flooding at Boscastle (case study)

A
  • houses+bridges destroyed
  • businesses destroyed eg. visitor centre, tourism devastated
  • people worried+ evacuated
  • 116 cars washed into sea
  • economic damage - fall in house prices, £300m lost
32
Q

describe the responses to the flood at Boscastle (case study)

A
  • channel was widened+ deepened+ straightened
  • bridges made wider+ higher to allow more water through
  • raised car park+ built with a permeable material - cars less likely to be swept away/ reduces runoff
  • dead trees+ trees close to river removed - prevents them from being swept away+ causing blockages
33
Q

describe what causes waves (3)

A
  • wind speed
  • wind duration
  • the fetch - size of area/distance wind is blowing over
34
Q

describe constructive waves

A
  • created in calm weather, less powerful
  • deposit material on the beach
  • swash is stronger than backwash
  • low wave height
  • forms a gently sloping, sandy beach
35
Q

describe destructive waves

A
  • created in stormy weather
  • erode the beach+cliff
  • backwash is stronger than swash
  • big+strong waves with high frequency
  • forms a steep, pebble beach
  • offshore bar forms as material eroded is deposited at bottom of sea bed
36
Q

describe types of weathering (3)

A
  • chemical/carbonation - rainwater dissolves calcium carbonate rocks (limestone/chalk);
    the iron in rocks oxidises/rusts
  • mechanical - due to extreme temps (freeze-thaw, heating+cooling);
    when sea spray gets into cracks in rock then evaporates to form crystals that push the crack apart
  • biological - plant roots grow into rock cracks and push them apart
37
Q

describe types of cliff erosion (6)

A
  • freeze-thaw erodes the top of the cliff
  • corrosion from crystalised salt in rock cracks
  • hydraulic action when water gets into cracks
  • solution - rock eroded by acidic seawater
  • attrition - rocks smash into one another
  • abrasion - rocks grind against cliff
38
Q

describe how headlands+ bays form

A
  • discordant coastline - alternating layers of hard rock (chalk/limestone) +soft rock (sand/clay)
  • waves erode soft rock more quickly by abrasion+attrition - beaches form in bays due to longshore drift+deposition
  • headlands of hard rock jut out into the sea
39
Q

define hard and soft engineering

A

hard - large scale construction, expensive, tries to prevent flooding
soft - more natural/ environmentally friendly, reduces impact of flooding with less intervention

40
Q

describe the formation of spits and bars

A
  • sediment is carried by longshore drift
  • when there is a change in the shape of the coastline, deposition occurs and a long thin ridge of material forms a spit
  • a hooked end forms if there is a change in wind direction
  • waves cannot get past spits so silts are deposited in the sheltered salt marshes/ mud flats behind
  • a bar forms when the spit connects with land
41
Q

describe the formation of a sea stack/ stump

A
  • a crack in the cliff is continually eroded by hydraulic action+ abrasion until a cave forms
  • more rock is eroded at the base to form an arch, and chemical+ freeze-thaw weathering occurs at the rock above
  • the rock above is weakened and collapses leaving an isolated pillar of rock and forming a stack
  • the stack is eroded to form a shorter stump
42
Q

describe the formation of sand dunes

A
  • obstacles (driftwood) are dropped on beach
  • onshore wind blows sand onto beach which is trapped by obstacles
  • plants (marram grass) grow+ stabilise dune with roots, so more sand is trapped
43
Q

describe the use and cost of sea walls

A

£5000 per m, curved face to deflect waves back to sea, made from concrete/stone, build-up of beach material at base of sea wall (toe protection)

44
Q

describe the use and cost of groynes

A

£1000 per m, fence-like structure constructed at right angles to coast, traps material transported by longshore drift

45
Q

describe the use and cost of rock armour

A

£1500 per m, large boulders placed in front of a cliff or sea wall

46
Q

describe the use and cost of gabions

A

£110 per m

47
Q

describe benefits and costs of sea walls

A

/ protects base of cliff from erosion, can prevent coastal flooding
X expensive, unattractive, makes access to beach difficult

48
Q

describe benefits and costs of groynes

A

/ prevents movement of beach material by longshore drift, allows the build-up of a beach, more natural-looking beach for tourists+ residents
X unattractive, makes access to beach difficult, may cause issues further along the coast

49
Q

describe benefits and costs of rock armour

A

/ absorbs energy of the waves, can be local rock so more natural-looking
X unattractive, makes access to beach difficult, requires maintenance

50
Q

describe benefits and costs of gabions

A

/ absorbs energy of the waves, can be local rock so more natural-looking, relatively cheap
X unattractive, makes access to beach difficult, expensive to rebuild

51
Q

describe pros+cons of beach nourishment

A

sediment is replaced from other sources/ sediment from downdrift is moved updrift by lorries+dredgers
/ wider beach attracts tourists, looks natural
X requires maintenance

52
Q

describe pros+cons of beach reprofiling

A

transfer of material from lower to upper beach to make sides steeper
/ residential areas behind beach are protected, looks relatively natural
X steep+high beach can be uninviting/restricts access

53
Q

describe pros+cons of dune regeneration

A

restoring sand dunes using vegetation or fences to stabilise dunes+ provide a barrier to collect sand
/ protects residential areas behind beach, cheap as local plants are replanted
X requires maintenance, beach is inaccessible during plant growth, fertilisers used

54
Q

describe the process of mass movement

A
  • rain/flood saturates permeable rock on surface making it heavier
  • waves or river erodes base of the slope by hydraulic action+abrasion
  • the weight of the permeable rock weakens the impermeable rock underneath so it collapses
  • debris at base of cliff/slope is transported away by waves/river
55
Q

describe types of coastline (2)

A
  • concordant - alternating hard+soft rock layers parallel to coast - forms a smooth coast
  • discordant - alternating hard+soft rock layers - form headlands+bays due to erosion - jagged coast
56
Q

describe key terms used in a flood hydrograph (6)

A
  • peak rainfall - the hour of greatest rainfall during a storm (shown on bar chart)
  • peak discharge - the time of maximum discharge in river (shown at top of line graph curve)
  • rising limb - period of rising river discharge following rainfall
  • falling limb - period of falling river discharge
  • lag time - time between peak rainfall and peak discharge
  • normal flow - base flow of the river (shown at bottom of graph)
57
Q

describe the location of a UK town and the coastal realignment scheme used (case study)

A
  • Medmerry, coast of south England
  • used managed retreat - a breach was made in the shingle bank to allow land behind to be flooded
  • clay embankment built around intertidal area to contain floodwaters
58
Q

describe pros+cons of the coastal realignment scheme used at Medmerry (case study)

A

/ protects properties+water treatment plant+ mobile home park, created salt marshes good for wildlife habitats+ cattle farming, nature reserve for intertidal habitats, cheaper than hard engineered sea defences
X agricultural land lost, landowners require compensation, disturbs existing species’ habitats

Geography (6 decks)

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