Physical geography- coasts Flashcards
What percentage of the worlds population live on the coastal plain
50%
Coasts consist of zones with specific conditions depending on what
tides
waves action
sea depth
What is the Backshore
The area from the high water mark to the inland limit of storms
What is the Foreshore
The are from the high water mark to the low water. It is the most important zone for marine processes in times that are not influenced by storm activity
What is the inshore
The area between the Low water mark and the point where waves cease to have any influence on the land beneath them.
What is the offshore
Is the area where waves cease to impact upon the seabed and deposition is the main activity.
What 3 zones are the foreshore and the inshore broken up into
The Swash zone
The surf zone
The breaker zone
What is the swash zone
Where waves rush up the beach
What is the surf zone
a mass of broken water in the breaker zone of a shoreline. The foaming water results from high wave activity.
The breaker zone
where waves break onto a shoreline
Is the coastal system an open or closed system
OPEN
What are inputs of the coastal system
energy to drive the system - provided by waves, winds, tides and currents.
sediment
Human activity
What are processes of the costal system
wave action, tidal movement, erosion, weathering, transportation(longshore drift) and deposition.
What are the outputs of the coastal system
sediment
coastal landforms
wave energy loss
Are waves responsible for erosion and deposition of beach sediment
yes
