Topic 4- Costal Landscapes- Key Words Flashcards
Abrasion
The wearing away of cliffs by sediment flung by breaking waves.
Arch
A headland that has been partly broken through by the sea to form a thin-roofed arch.
Attrition
The knocking together of pebbles, making them gradually smaller and smoother.
Backwash
The backward movement of water down a beach when a has broken.
Bar
A spit that has grown across a bay.
Bay
A broad costal inlet often with a beach.
Beach
A deposit of sand or shingle at the coast, often found at the head of a bay.
Beach nourishment
The addition of new material to a beach artificially, through the dumping of large amounts of sand or shingle.
Beach reprofiling
Changing the profile or shape of the beach, usually by directly transferring material from the lower beach to the upper beach.
Cave
A hollowed out feature at the base of an eroding cliff.
Chemical weathering
The decomposition (rotting) of rock caused by chemical changes.
Cliff
A steep high rock face formed by weathering and erosion along the coast line.
Constructive wave
A powerful wave with a strong swash that surges up a beach.
Corrasion
The effect of rocks being flung at the cliff by powerful waves.
Crest
The top of a wave.
Deposition
Occurs when material being transported by the sea is dropped due to the sea losing energy.
Destructive wave
A wave formed by a local storm that crashes down onto a beach and has a powerful backwash.
Dune regeneration
Action taken to build up sand dunes and increase vegetation to strengthen the dunes and prevent excessive costal retreat.
