The Coastal Zone Flashcards
Arch
A headland that has been broken through by the sea to form a gap under a precariously hanging piece of rock
Attrition
Rock fragments carried by the sea knock into one another making them smaller and more rounded
Backwash
The motion of the wave that returns the sediment back to the sea. Movement perpendicular to shore along line of least resistance
Bar
A spit that has grown across a bay
Bay
A softer weaker part of the coastline which erodes faster than the headlands, often with a beach
Beach
A build up of sand and sediment along part of the coast
Beach nourishment
Adding sand/shingle to a beach to manage it’s size
Bedding plane
A weakness between different layers (strata) of rock
Carrying capacity
Potential of waves to move sediment
Cave
A hollowed-out feature at the base of a cliff
Constructive wave
A wave where the swash is bigger than the backwash
Corrasion
Fragments of rock picked up and hurled by sea at a cliff
Cost-benefit analysis
Weighing up the costs of different approaches against the costs of not implementing them in order to make a financially sound decision
Deposition
Processes whereby material is left behind
Destructive wave
A wave where the swash is smaller than the backwash
Dune regeneration
Adding vegetation to bind sand dunes
Erosion
Break down of rock by an external agent (waves)
Estuary
The tidal mouth of a river where it meets the sea
Fetch
The distance waves travel before hitting a coastline
Freeze-thaw weathering
Water entering gaps, freezing, expanding by 9%. Repeated action breaks off loose bits of cliffs
Groynes
Timber of rock structures that prevent sediment being moved away from part of the beach by trapping it
Hard engineering
Building artificial structures in an attempt to slow down coastal erosion
Headland
A harder more resistant part of the coastline that sticks out to sea
Hydraulic power
Sheer power of the waves smashing onto the cliffs, blasting holes in the rock causing it to break apart
Impermeable rock
A rock that doesn’t allow water into it ie. clay
Joints
Small cracks in the rock formed during earth movements
Longshore drift
The transport of sediment along a stretch of coastline caused by a prevailing wind attacking the beach at an oblique angle
Managed retreat
Allowing certain parts of the coastline to erode as part of a sustainable approach ie. Happisburgh
Permeable rock
Rock that allows water into it ie. limestone
Pioneer plant
The first species to colonise an area (often grasses)
Prevailing wind
Direction from which the wind most frequently comes
Revetments
Wooden structures on the beach running parallel to the coast which absorb the waves’ energy
Rock armour
Piles of large boulders dumped at the base of a cliff absorbing wave energy
Rockfall
Fragments of rock falling from the cliff face
Rotational slip
A slump of rock around a curved surface
Saltation
A hopping or bouncing motion of particles too heavy to be suspended
Salt marsh
Low-lying coastal wetland
Sea wall
Concrete or rock barrier placed at the foot of cliffs
Sedimentary rock
Rock laid down in layers at the bottom of the ocean and formed under the pressure of overlying oceans
Shoreline Management Plan (SMP)
An integrated coastal management plan for a stretch of coastline in England or Wales
Soft engineering
A sustainable approach to managing the coast without using artificial structures
Solution
Rocks dissolved by seawater (eg. limestone)
Spit
A finger of new land jutting out from the coast into the sea
Stack
An isolate pinnacle of rock sticking out to sea at the end of a headland
Stump
A stack that has been eroded down
Suspension
Particles carried by the water
Swash
The forwards movement of the wave up the beach. Parallel to the prevailing wind
Traction
Large pebbles rolled along the seabed
Vegetation succession
A sequence of vegetation species colonising an environment
Wave-cut notch
A small indentation cut into a cliff at level of high tide caused by marine erosion
Wave-cut platform
A wide gently sloping rocky surface at the foot of a cliff
Weathering
Break down of rock in situ (in one place)
Abrasion
The sandpaper effect of pebbles grinding over a rocky platform making it smooth
