Wave refraction Flashcards
wave refraction is when the shape of the coastline curves waves so that they end up more or less
parallel to the coastline
wave refraction occurs because (explain the steps in wave refraction)
- waves approach the coast in parallel lines
- when one section of a wave hits shallower water, it slows down due to increased friction with the seabed
- this creates a curved wave near headlands or bars as the rest of the wave keeps travelling at the same speed
wave refraction means the wave energy becomes more
concentrated on the headland, causing greater erosion
as waves hit a headland, their energy is concentrated onto the …………………so when the rest of the wave spills into the bay, they ………………..sediment
onto the headland, deposit sediment
wave refraction on headlands can create
longshore currents
longshore currents are
when eroded sediments form the headland are carried towards the beaches on either side of the headland because the concentrated wave energy leads to a small local sea level rise, so the water creates a currents to ‘drain’ away the ‘extra’ water converging on the headland