Theme 2 key words Flashcards
Abrasion?
Erosion caused by the rubbing together of material and consequent wearing down and smoothing (sand paper effect)
Altitude?
The height above sea level
Anticyclone?
An area of high pressure that brings clear and cold conditions in winter and stable heat wave conditions in summer
Attrition?
Erosion caused by the collision of material and consequent breaking up
Cliff retreat?
When wave action undercuts a cliff and they collapse and retreat back (hydraulic action and abrasion caused by waves). Can create wave cut platforms.
Climate?
The long term average conditions of the atmosphere
Condensation?
When water changes from gas (vapour) to liquid on cooling, often forming clouds
Continental?
Inland areas that are far from the sea. May be land locked. These areas have a higher temperature range than coastal areas.
Conventional rain?
Rain caused by the suns radiation heating the surface of the earth and evaporating, water vapour rises, cools and condenses to form clouds and rain. Common in summer and can produce violent thunder storms.
Cost benefit analysis?
A calculation to work out how much money can be spent to defend a coastline. The higher the value of the land, the more that can be spent and remain economically viable.
Depression?
Low pressure weather system that brings windy and rainy conditions to the UK
Deposition?
When transported material is laid down
Desertification?
The process of becoming more desert like
Drainage basin?
An area drained by a river and its tributaries
Erosion?
The wearing away and removal of rocks and surfaces
Evaporation?
The loss of water when it changes from a liquid into a vapour, transferred from surface to atmosphere
Evapotranspiration?
The combined water loss from evaporation and transpiration
Flood?
When the river channel does not have enough capacity to transfer all the discharge
Frontal rainfall?
Rainfall caused by warm air being forced above cold air at either warm or cold fronts
Geology?
The rock type and structure in an area
Greenhouse effect?
The way in which the earth is unnaturally heated by human activity
Groundwater (store)?
The water held below the surface of land
Groundwater flow?
The movement of water below the surface
Hard engineering?
High cost man made structures to prevent river flooding/coastal erosion
Heat capacity?
The time and amount that land or sea takes to heat up and cool down. Sea takes longer to heat up and cool down than land and so never gets as hot or as cold.
Hold the line?
A costly management option intended to stop any further coastal erosion using a combination of hard and soft engineering
High pressure?
Air is sinking and particles are close together. This means they warm up and moisture evaporates creating clear skies.
Hurricane?
A tropical storm formed in the Atlantic ocean