Uk physical Landscapes Flashcards
what is a human feature
a manmade feature such as a town or city
what is physical feature
a natural feature such as a mountain lake or river
how is the term relief used in geography
it’s used to describe the height above sea level
shapes of landscape features
steepness of slopes
what is the crest of a wave
this is the top of the wave
what is the fetch of the wave
the distance of open water which the wind can blow
what is a constructive wave
a powerful wave with a strong swash that surges up the beach
what is a beach
a deposit of sand or shingle at the coast often found at the head of a bay
what is the swash
the forward movement of a wave up a beach
what is a destructive wave
a wave formed by a local storm that crashes down onto a beach and hasa powerful backwash. The beach is being destroyed as sediment is moved away from the beach
what is backwash
the backward movement of water down the beach when a wave has broken
what are the features of constructive waves
strong swash
swell waves
arrives at 6-8 waves per minute
deposition occurs through build up of material
gentle sloping wave front
gentle sloping beaches
waves crests far apart
breaking wave spills forward
what are the features of destructive waves
strong backwash
steep wave front
arrives 13-15 waves per minute
erosion occurs through removal of materials
steep sloping beaches
wave crests close together
breaking wave plunges downwards
what is weathering
Weathering describes the breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals on the surface of the Earth
what is erosion
Erosion is the process where rocks are broken down by natural forces such as wind or water
what are the four types of erosion
abrasion
hydraulic action
attrition
solution
what is biological weathering
what is biological weathering this is where the actions of plants and animals break up rocks
what is chemical weathering
this is the break up in rocks due to chemical change
what is physical weathering
this is the break up of rock without any chemical changes taking placethis is often down by the weather for example the heat fromthe sun
what is abrasion
this is rocks grinding over other rocks
what is hydraulic action
the pressure of the water being thrown against the cliffs by the wave sometimes forcing water into cracks in the water
what is attrition
sand and pebbles carried within the waves are thrown against the cliffs
what is solution
solution is a chemical reaction between certain rock types
what is mass weathering
this is the downhill movement of material primarily under the influence of gravity
what factors affect coastal landforms
some rocks are tough than others and form headlands cliffs and headaches as they are harder to wear down an example of this rock is granite and an example of a softrock is clay
how is a wave cut platform formed
weathering weakens the top of the cliff
the sea cut erodes the base of the cliff between high and low areas
the notch increases thes size causing the cliff to collapse
the cliff retreats and leaves a platform
the process repeats
how are headlands and bays formed
different types of rocks at the coastline will be eroded at different rates weaker bonds of rocks at the coastline headlands are formed when the sea attacks a section of coast with alternating bands of hard and soft rock.
what are hard rocks and coastlines made out of
granite
limestone and chalk an example of this is old harry s rocks on the Jurassic coast in swan age
what are some examples of soft rock
sand
sandstone
clay
dirt
limestone
dirt
what are the coast with varying types of rocks called
discordant coastlines
what are concordant coastlines
this is where the rock go in long straight lines they also tend to have fewer bays
what is a sheltered bay
A coastal area that is protected from strong winds and large waves
what is solution
this is where rock is worn down by chemicals inside the water often from limestone or chalk
what is hydraulic action
this is where water is slashed t rocks at high speeds causing it to break down water can also get stuck in the cracks of the rocks causing it to fall off
what is attrition
This is where other rocks are used to break down more rocks by bumping against each other
what is abrasion
this is where rocks scrape along side each other
what is long shore drift
this is the movement of sediment along a beach this can depend of the wave and wind direction on the day. the sediment is moved in a zig zag movement along the beach
what is coastal deposition
this take place in areas where the flow of water slows down waves loose energy in sheltered bays. here sediment can no longer be carried or moved and is there for deposited. This explains why beaches are found in bays where the energy of the waves is reduced
what are beaches
beaches are deposited of sand or shingle at the coast sandy beaches are usually found in sheltered bays
where in the UK are the percentage of pebble beaches found
in the south of the UK
what is a spit
a spit is a long narrow finger of and or shingle letting out into the sea. spits form on coasts where there is significant long shore drift the sand moves down the beach causing this formation inside of the spit and the land there is a salty marsh
what is a bar
a bar is caused where long shore drift goes over a bay causing a lake of fresh water to be created behind it
where is swanage located
swanage is located on the south coast in the UK it is south east of London
what is a dancing ledge
because at certain tidal conditions, the waves wash over the horizontal surface and the movement of the water makes the ledge appear to dance.
expelling the formation of swan-age
different types of rocks are eroded at different rates weaker bands of rocks at the coastline headlands are formed when the sea attacks a section of coast
why is swange a popular travel destination
because it has a large sheltered bay and a long sandy beach
what are some of the characteristics of hard engineering
expensive materials and have high
interfere with natural process and can cause destructive effects such as habitat loss
eyesore effect often these are un natural looking
what are some characteristics of soft engineering
cheaper but require more regular maintenance
works with nature of the environment (e.g. beach nourishment dune regeneration)
can only be see when the management strategy is being put into place
what are all of the methods of hard engineering
groynes
rock armour
gabions
sea wall
what are groynes
a low wall or sturdy barrier built out into the sea from a beach to check erosion and drifting.
what are the advantages of groynes
creates a wider beach which can be popular with tourists
provide useful structures for people interested in fishing
not too expensive it costs 150,000 pounds
what are the disadvantages of groynes
they can look very ugly as they are unnatural
Groynes prevent sediment being transported to beaches further down the coast and therefore increase the amount of erosion and sediment loss at those beaches.
what is rip rap (rock armour)
rock or other material used to protect shoreline structures against scour and water, wave, or ice erosion.
what are the advantages of rip rap
they are relatively cheap (200,000) and easy to maintain
can provide interests to the coast
often used by people for fishing
what are the disadvantages of rip rap
can be expensive to transport
can be very obtrusive
do not fit with the local geology
what are gabions
a basket or container filled with earth, stones, or other material and used in civil engineering
what are the advantages of gabions
cheap to produce and flexible in final design 50,000
they can improve drainage of cliffs by slowing the water
will eventually will become vegetated and merge in with the landscape
what are the disadvantages of gabions
for a while they look very unattractive
the cages only last 5-10 years before they rust
what is a sea wall
A structure separating land and water areas
what are the advantages of a sea wall
effectives at stopping the sea
often has a walkway or a promenade for people to walk along
what are disadvantages of a sea wall
can look obtrusive and unnatural
very expensive and high maintance costs 100,000
what is soft engineering
where the natural environment is used to help reduce coastal erosion and river flooding
what is beach nourishment
this is the addition of sand or shingle to an existing beach to make it higher
what are the advantages of beach nourishment
they are relatively cheap (300 per km) and easy to maintain
what are the disadvantages of beach nourishment
needs constant maintance unless structures are built to retain beach
what is dune regeneration
sand dunes are effective buffers to the sea but can be easily damaged. by adding marram grass the dunes are stabilised and helps them develop
what is the advantage of dune regeneration
maintains natural coastal environment that is popular with people
cheap 200-2000
what are the disadvantages of dune regeneration
time consuming
what is managed retreat
this is allowing the coast to flood areas of low value land and allows nature to take its own course
what are the advantages of managed retreat
protects other sections of the coast
what are the disadvantages of managed retreat
the owners of the property such as farmland and other things can be permanently lost or destroyed
when is managed retreat used
when the land is of low value
when the budget is low
when there is a desire to create a new natural habitat
when defending the coastline becomes too difficult
where is merberry nature reserve located
on the southern coast of England. The town it is in med berry which is in Portsmouth
why did med berry need protecting
300 homes were in danger of being flooded
what were the three objectives to protecting med berry
new natural habitat
sustainainability of flood risks
community involvement
how did medberry help the wildlife
this helped they bring back animals that used to live there which they were already doing prior to the flood
how did the med berry flood involve local people
local resident’s were informed of what they were gong to do
why would the local people been concerned about managed retreat
they would be worried about if it will work or not and if they were safe where they lived
what were the environmental benefits of the scheme at medberry
slesey now has a 1 in 1000 chance of coastal flooding the best level of protection in the uk
300 hectares of inter tidal habitats are already attracting hundreds of lapwings and there migratory birds
as the scheme is soft engineering in the area looks completely natural now several years have passed
what were the economical benefits of the scheme at medberry
areas of saltmarsh can now be used for grazing cattle to make saltmarsh beef
tourism one of the main contributors to the local economy is expected to increase
despite the high initial outlay the long term costs are believed to be much cheaper than hard engineering options which would need replacing
the local caravan parks and businesses are now protecting from the threat of erosion and pay les for their insurance
what were the social benefits of the scheme at medberry
a maintance access point behind the flooded area provide a footpath and cycleway
two new car parks will provide tourists with local access for walking and recreation
local people appreciate their involvement in the consultation process this gave them a sense of ownership of the scheme
what are the environmental costs of the scheme at med berry
some local people objected to the scheme as they fell less secure with the sea allowed closer to their properties
despite the best efforts of the planners some local species such as badgers have lost their habitats
what are the economic costs of the scheme at med berry
28 million was considered to be quite expensive considering the land is low value
what are the social costs of the scheme at medberry
during the works on the scheme newly built infrastructure and heavy machinery put visitors off staying at med berry
