The Littoral Zone and Systems

Question 1

the littoral zone

Answer 1

the wider coastal zone including adjacent land areas and shallow parts of the sea just offshore

SIMPLE DEFINITION:
The littoral zone is the area of shoreline where land is subject to wave action. It’s subdivided into offshore, nearshore, foreshore and backshore.

Question 2

name the sub-zones of the littoral zone in order

Answer 2

coast
backshore
foreshore
nearshore
offshore

Question 3

when does the zone reach dynamic equilibrium

Answer 3

where there is a balance between inputs and outputs

Question 4

name some factors that directly affect a coastline

Answer 4

tides
-short term change (daily)
storms
-lots of damage
longshore drift
-prevailing wind at an angle
type of wave
-constructive or destructive
human activity
-such as beach nourishment and replenishment

Question 5

name some types of coastlines

Answer 5

beach area (foreshore)
rock coastlines
coastal wetlands (saltmarshes)

Question 6

isostatic rebound

Answer 6

Isostatic rebound is the uplift and readjustment of the land after a glaciation.
-southern england rose when heavy glaciers weighed northern england down in last ice age

Question 7

rears

Answer 7

drowned river valley (sea floods river)

Question 8

Characteristics of high-energy coastlines

Answer 8

-areas of powerful waves
-destructive
-rates of erosion exceed rate of deposition
-coastline recession (The retreat of a coastline due to erosion, sea-level rise or submergence)

Question 9

give an example of a high-energy coastline

Answer 9

Cornwall
-rock coastline
-waves have a long fetch- lots of energy

Question 10

Characteristics of a low-energy coastline

Answer 10

-waves are less powerful
-sheltered locations
-rate of deposition exceeds the rate of erosion

Question 11

give an example of a low-energy coastline

Answer 11

The Haff Coastline
-Northumberland has wide, depositional coastlines

Question 12

a system

Answer 12

constantly changing
parts rely on each other and work together
-a system is made up of inputs, outputs, energy stores, flows, transfers, positive and negative feedback

Question 13

inputs in a system

Answer 13

-land (rocks type/ structure)
-marine (tides, storm surges)
-atmosphere (weather, climate change, solar energy)

Question 14

processes in a system

Answer 14

-weathering
-deposition
-mass movement
-erosion
-transportation

Question 15

outputs in a system

Answer 15

erosional landforms
different types of coasts
depositional landforms

Question 16

systems in a dynamic equilibrium

Answer 16

the same amount of sediment is inputted and outputted (in balance of eachother)

Question 17

what effect would a storm have on a system

Answer 17

this would increase the rates of erosion, more sediment would be on the beaches from cliffs
-loses material of the beach