Classifying Coasts

Question 1

What is the littoral zone?

Answer 1

Essentially the shoreline which consists of the backshore, foreshore, nearshore and offshore. Includes a variety of coastal types and is a dynamic zones of rapid change.

Question 2

What features may be found at the backshore?

Answer 2

Storm beach
Pebbles
Berms, shingle ridges

Question 3

What features may be found at the foreshore?

Answer 3

Sand runnels

Ridges

Question 4

What inputs operate in the littoral zone?

Answer 4

Marine- waves, tides, storm surges
Atmospheric- weather/climate, climate change, solar energy.
Land- rock type and structure, tectonic activity
People- Human activity, coastal management.

Question 5

What processes operate in the littoral zone?

Answer 5

Weathering
Mass movement
Erosion
Transport
Deposition

Question 6

What outputs operate in the littoral zone?

Answer 6

Erosional landforms
Depositional landforms
Different types of coast.

Question 7

How can coasts be classified?

Answer 7

Geology
Energy
Balance
Sea level

Question 8

How can coasts be classified according to geology?

Answer 8

Is the geology resistant to the erosive forces of the sea, wind and rain or not.

Question 9

How can coasts be classified according to energy?

Answer 9

Is the coast exposed to powerful waves or is it sheltered?

Question 10

How can coasts be classified according to balance?

Answer 10

Does erosion exceed deposition or vice versa? Is the coast retreating or advancing?

Question 11

How can coasts be classified according to sea level?

Answer 11

Does the coast have emergent or submergent features?

Question 12

Why might it be difficult to classify some coasts?

Answer 12

Energy can change throughout the year- low energy environments can become very high energy environments when winter storms arrive.
Local geology can produce rocky areas within coastal plain landscapes.
Sheltered bays can encourage deposition in areas with long fetches and destructive waves.

Question 13

Characteristics of waves at low energy coasts

Answer 13

Less powerful (constructive) waves
Calmer conditions
Short fetches

Question 14

Characteristics of waves at high energy coasts

Answer 14

More powerful (destructive) waves
Storm conditions
Long fetches

Question 15

Characteristics of processes at low energy coasts

Answer 15

Deposition and transport

Sediments from rivers, longshore drift and nearshore currents.

Question 16

Characteristics of processes at high energy coasts

Answer 16

Erosion and transport

Sediments from eroded land, mass movement and weathering, offshore currents.

Question 17

Characteristics of landforms at low energy coasts

Answer 17

Beaches, spits, bars, salt marshes, sand dunes and mudflats.

Question 18

Characteristics of landforms at high energy coasts

Answer 18

Cliffs, wave-cut platforms, arches, sea caves and stacks.

Question 19

General locations of low energy coasts

Answer 19

Sheltered from large waves
Lowland coasts
Coastal plain landscapes

Question 20

General locations of high energy coasts

Answer 20

Exposed to large waves.
Highland and lowland coasts.
Rocky landscapes.