all of coasts

Question 1

What is the littoral zone?

Answer 1

the coast, the barrier between sea and land

Question 2

What are key features of high energy coasts?

Answer 2

• destructive waves
• storm conditions
• long fetches
• erosion and transport
• wave cut platforms

Question 3

What is an example of a high energy coast?

Answer 3

Atlantic Coasts e.g. Scotland

Question 4

What are key features of a low energy coast?

Answer 4

• constructive waves
• deposition and transport
• beaches
• spits
• lowland coasts

Question 5

What is an example of a low energy coast?

Answer 5

East Anglian Coast

Question 6

Where do salt marshes develop?

Answer 6

• sheltered areas where deposition occurs
• where salt and fresh water meet
• no strong tides or currents that would prevent sediment, deposition or accumulation

Question 7

How do salt marshes develop?

Answer 7

• as mud flats develop, salt tolerant plants begin to colonise and stabilise them
• these species (halophytes) help slow tidal flow and trap more mud and silt
• as sediment accumulates, the surface dries and different plants begin to colonise
• creeks divide up the marsh from water flowing across the estuary at low tide

Question 8

What is the order of sand dunes?

Answer 8

1) embryo dune
2) fore dune
3) yellow dune
4) grey dune
5) dune slacks
6) mature dune

Question 9

What can depressions in a dune lead to?

Answer 9

dune slacks which are damp areas

Question 10

Why do sand dunes need management?

Answer 10

sand dunes are natural sea defences

Question 11

What is the Norfolk sandscaping scheme?

Answer 11

artificial dune of 2 million cubic meters of sand

Question 12

How much has the Norfolk sandscaping scheme cost?

Answer 12

£20 million

Question 13

How are sand dunes managed?

Answer 13

• marram grass stabilises dune
• sea buckthorn stabilises but is invasive
• boardwalks to stop footfall erosion
• fencing slows flow and sand and helps create new dunes

Question 14

What is the transfer zone?

Answer 14

places where sediment moves along the shore through long-short drift and offshore currents

Question 15

How do tides and currents affect longshore drift?

Answer 15

• tides change the water levels
• tidal current carriers sediment
• wind direction

Question 16

How many sediment cells are there in England and Wales?

Answer 16

11

Question 17

Where does the sediment come from in sediment cells?

Answer 17

• processes of weathering and erosion produce output in the form of sediment
• cliff erosion
• tidal currents carrying sediment
• sand from nearby beaches
• rivers that discharge into the sea bring fine sediment

Question 18

What is the sediment budget?

Answer 18

the balance of sediment volume entering and exiting a particular section of the coast

Question 19

What are key features of destructive waves?

Answer 19

• high energy
• weak swash
• strong backwash
• steep beach

Question 20

What are key features of constructive waves?

Answer 20

• strong swash
• weak backwash
• low energy
• wide sloping beach

Question 21

What happens when waves approach the coast?

Answer 21

• water shallows
• wave length and velocity decrease
• wave height increases
• waves become steeper

Question 22

Why are sea levels rising?

Answer 22

• global warming
• tectonic activity

Question 23

How much did sea levels rise between 1870-2010?

Answer 23

21cm

Question 24

What is thermal expansion?

Answer 24

sea water expands when warmed

Question 25

What is eustatic change?

Answer 25

sea level rises and falls - ice formation/melting - thermal change - melting of freshwater ice

Question 26

What is isostatic change?

Answer 26

land rises or falls - post-glacial adjustment - subsidence - land rising and falling due to changes in ice

Question 27

What is crustal subsidence?

Answer 27

sinking of the earths crust from the weight of glacial ice

Question 28

What is crustal rebound?

Answer 28

the rise of Earth's crust after the removal of glacial ice

Question 29

What is isostatic change in Britain?

Answer 29

south and east coast-> submerging north Scotland-> rising

Question 30

What are submergent landforms?

Answer 30

- ria - fjord

Question 31

What are emergent landforms?

Answer 31

- raised beach - relic cliff

Question 32

What are the main causes of rapid coastal retreat?

Answer 32

weak rocks destructive waves submergence of the coast large scale mass movement constant weathering

Question 33

What are the main causes of slow coastal retreat?

Answer 33

resistant rocks small constructive waves little mass movement occasional/slow weathering

Question 34

What are the main forms of human interference in coastal management?

Answer 34

- dredging and adding the sand to the beach - coastal defences at one location will limit sediment to another cell - dredging limits sediment supply to beaches so there is more destructive impact on the coast

Question 35

What are impacts of subaerial processes?

Answer 35

- chemical weathering-> relatively effective accept on chalk cliffs - freeze thaw wetting and drying are most prominent at Holderness - slumping greatly effects the boulder clay cliff - alternate wetting and drying-> creates cracks and water entering makes it heavier causing slumping

Question 36

Who are the key players in human action on the Holderness coast?

Answer 36

- central government agencies - local government - stakeholders in local economy e.g. farmers - environmental stakeholders e.g. RSPB

Question 37

What are the priorities of stakeholders at Holderness?

Answer 37

greater spending on coastal protection want money to protect land and insurance- companies won't insure vulnerable properties

Question 38

What are the priorities of environmental stakeholders at Holderness?

Answer 38

want to protect Spurn Head so continuing flow of sand by LSD is essential

Question 39

What factors affect rates of recession?

Answer 39

- wind direction - tides - weather systems

Question 40

How do storm surges cause coastal flooding?

Answer 40

- storm surges are caused by changes in the sea level caused by intense low pressure systems (tropical storms) - for every 10mb drop in pressure the sea level rises 10cm - high winds make storm surges worse

Question 41

What are examples of hard engineering strategies?

Answer 41

- gabions - offshore breakers - sea wall - recurved sea wall - groynes - rock armour/rip-rap - revetments

Question 42

What are examples of soft engineering strategies?

Answer 42

- beach replenishment - managed retreat - cliff regrading - dune stabilisation

Question 43

What is the Integrated coastal zone management?

Answer 43

- bring economic decision makers such as tourism or fishing together with different economic levels - aim to conserve coastal ecosystems - involved all relevant stakeholders - idea used throughout the world

Question 44

What are the four management policies?

Answer 44

- no intervention - managed realignment - hold the line - advance the line