The Coastal System Flashcards
What type of system is the coast?
An open system.
Material and energy can pass through a coastal system.
Where can these systems operate? air etc…
What other cycles can these include?
Terrestrial, atmospheric, oceanic.
Can include rock, water and carbon cycles.
How many sediment (littoral) cells are around the UK?
11
How can dynamic equilibrium in sediment cells be upset in the SHORT TERM?
How can they be upset in the LONG TERM?
SHORT TERM:
Human intervention.
LONG TERM:
Natural variations.
Inputs into a coastal system are categorised into 3 main areas and may be MATERIAL OR ENERGY. What are these areas?
Marine
Atmosphere
Humans
List 2 marine inputs
Tides, salt spray.
List 3 inputs from the atmosphere.
Sun
Air pressure
Wind speed and direction.
List 4 human inputs
Pollution
Recreation
Settlement
Defences.
Give 4 outputs from coastal systems. This refers to material and energy outputs.
Ocean currents,
rip tides,
sediment transfer, evaporation.
What are examples of transfers and flows?
wind-blown sand
mass-movement processes
Longshore drift
weathering
erosion
transportation
Deposition
Name 4 erosional processes and define them
Hydraulic action
Corrosion
Attrition
Abrasion
Give 4 transportational processes:
Bedload
In suspension
Traction
In solution
Give 2 depositional processes
Gravity settling
Flocculation
what is dynamic equilibrium?
A lack of change in a system as inputs and outputs are balanced.
An example of dynamic equilibrium on the earth is the glacial and interglacial periods.
what is another name for a sediment cell?
A littoral cell
What are the 4 aspects of a system?
Inputs, outputs, stores and flows.
What are geomorphological processes?
Weathering, mass movement, erosion, transportation and deposition
Define hydraulic action
the force of fast-flowing water hits the bed and banks and forces water and air into cracks in the bedrock
What is corrasion/abrasion?
The action of rock being thrown against a landform, causing the landform to breakdown. It is powered by wave energy.
Outline cavitation
Water fills a cavity within the rock at a very high pressure. As the water retreats. Effervescence occurs, causing further damage to the rock.
What is attrition?
Attrition = two stones hitting each other, causing sections to break off.
What is traction?
Rolling or dragging large stones along sea bed.
What is sub-aerial weathering?
Land based processes - occur above the waterline.
E.g - mass movement.
Give 2 hydraulic processes
WAVE QUARRYING (Removal of rocks from cliff or wave cut platform, hydraulic pressure on join lines in rock)
CAVITATION (Wave exterts force on crevices in rock face- compresses air bubbles. Bubbles fizz (effervesce) when wave pressure recedes
Small explosion - cracks in rock get larger.)
