Walton-on-the-Naze Flashcards
fieldwork
why is the location an advantage?
It is nearby, which means that we can take a trip in less than a school day. There is also a large variety of coastal management schemes, and areas of both protected and unprotected coastline.
What are some potential hazards?
- slipping on paths (very steep)
- getting too close to the edge of the cliff (cliff collapse)
- slipping on the wave cut platform (made of clay)
- getting caught out by incoming tide
- getting sun burnt
what is coastal management?
looking after the coast so to reduce the impact of physical processes such as erosion and weathering
what is hard engineering?
the use of concrete and large artificial structures by civil engineers to defend land against natural erosion processes
what is soft engineering?
managing erosion by working with natural processes to help restore beaches and coastal ecosystems
what is mass movement?
the downhill movement of weathered material under the force of gravity. the speed can vary considerably
what is erosion?
the wearing away and removal of material by a moving force, such as a breaking wave
what is longshore drift?
the zigzag movement of sediment along a shore caused by waves going up the beach at an oblique angle (wash) and returning at right angles (backwash). this results in the gradual movement of material along the coast.
how did we measure the angle of the cliff? (hard + soft engineering)
one person took a ranging pole to the top of the cliff where the measurement is to be made. At the bottom of the cliff the other ranging pole is placed vertically and roughly in line with the one at the top. The clinometer was held at the top of the pole and the angle was measured from the same point at the top.
Why did we measure the cliff angle? (hard + soft engineering)
we wanted to find out whether the cliff was steeper in the unprotected area and more gentle in the protected area. if the angle was steeper it would tell us that the cliff was eroding there.
did our measuring of the cliff work? (hard + soft engineering)
we were unable to measure the unprotected area accurately as we were unable to stand at the top of the cliff with the ranging pole because the cliff was too unstable. this means the angles were not all accurate.
how did we measure the pillbox? (erosion)
we used a measuring tape (pulled tightly) to measure the distance in meters from the pillbox on the beach to the base of the cliff.
why did we measure the pillbox? (erosion)
the pillbox was built on the cliff in WW2, as the cliffs eroded it ended up on the beach and by measuring the distance between the cliff and the the pillbox we can measure how much the cliff has eroded since then. We can use secondary data to help us see if erosion rates are the same.
did measuring the pillbox work? (erosion)
we dont know exactly where the pillbox was so the measurement is not an exact measurement of cliff erosion but it allows to look at an average measurement and compare the rates. If the tape measure was not pulled tightly it wouldnt have been accurate.
