Coastal Environment

Question 1

What are the main physical processes at work on the coast?

Answer 1

Marine processes, weathering, mass movement

Marine processes include wave action, erosion, deposition, and transportation.

Question 2

What are factors affecting wave energy?

Answer 2

Strength/speed of the wind, length of time the wind blows, fetch

Fetch is the distance of open water over which the wind has been blowing.

Question 3

Define constructive waves.

Answer 3

Low energy waves that construct coastlines by depositing material

They have a strong swash and weak backwash.

Question 4

Define destructive waves.

Answer 4

High energy waves that destroy coastlines by eroding material

They have a weak swash and strong backwash.

Question 5

What is swash?

Answer 5

Water moving up the beach.

Question 6

What is backwash?

Answer 6

Water moving down the beach.

Question 7

List the 5 main coastal processes.

Answer 7

• Erosion
• Weathering
• Transportation
• Mass Movement
• Deposition

Question 8

What is hydraulic action in coastal erosion?

Answer 8

Water is forced into the rock, causing air to burst out and break the rock apart.

Question 9

What is attrition in coastal erosion?

Answer 9

Loose sediment carried by the sea knocks into each other, breaking down into smaller and more rounded pieces.

Question 10

What is abrasion in coastal erosion?

Answer 10

Fragments of rock are picked up and hurled at the cliff by the sea, scraping and gouging the rock.

Question 11

What is solution/corrosion in coastal erosion?

Answer 11

Chemical action of sea water where salts dissolve rocks.

Question 12

What is biological weathering?

Answer 12

When living things affect rocks, such as tree roots growing into cracks.

Question 13

What is chemical weathering?

Answer 13

Reactions caused by rainwater reacting with minerals in rocks.

Question 14

What is physical weathering?

Answer 14

Freeze-thaw weathering where water enters cracks, freezes, and expands.

Question 15

What are the four types of transportation in the sea?

Answer 15

• Suspension
• Solution
• Traction
• Saltation

Question 16

What is rockfall in mass movement?

Answer 16

Fragments of rock break away from the cliff face.

Question 17

What is a landslide?

Answer 17

Blocks of rock slide downhill.

Question 18

What is a mudflow?

Answer 18

Saturated soil and weak rocks flow down a slope.

Question 19

What is rotational slip?

Answer 19

Slumps of saturated soil and weak rock along a curved surface.

Question 20

How does geology influence coastal environments?

Answer 20

Affects coastline shape and cliff height.

Question 21

What role does vegetation play in coastal landforms?

Answer 21

Protects and preserves coastal landforms.

Question 22

What are the effects of rising sea levels?

Answer 22

Drowning of low-lying coasts.

Question 23

What are rias and fjords?

Answer 23

Rias are drowned river valleys; fjords are drowned glacial valleys.

Question 24

What are the main human activities affecting coastlines?

Answer 24

• Settlement
• Economic development
• Coastal management

Question 25

What defines a concordant coastline?

Answer 25

Rock strata are parallel to the coastline, eroding at the same rate.

Question 26

What defines a discordant coastline?

Answer 26

Strata made of rocks with different resistance, leading to headlands and bays.

Question 27

What is a headland?

Answer 27

An area of more resistant rock that sticks out from a discordant coastline.

Question 28

What is a bay?

Answer 28

An area of less resistant rock eroded away at a discordant coastline.

Question 29

What factors influence the formation of headlands and bays?

Answer 29

* Rock resistance * Energy of waves

Question 30

How are cliffs formed?

Answer 30

Through erosion and weathering of soft and hard rock.

Question 31

What is a wave-cut platform?

Answer 31

A flat area found at the foot of a cliff formed by erosion.

Question 32

What processes lead to the formation of caves, arches, stacks, and stumps?

Answer 32

Widening of cracks by abrasion and hydraulic action.

Question 33

Where do beaches typically form?

Answer 33

In sheltered areas like bays with low energy waves.

Question 34

What is a spit?

Answer 34

An extended stretch of land that sticks out into the sea.

Question 35

What conditions are necessary for a spit to form?

Answer 35

* Constructive waves causing deposition * Longshore drift moving sediment * Change in land direction

Question 36

What is a bar?

Answer 36

A spit that grows across a bay, joining two headlands.

Question 37

What is a tombolo?

Answer 37

A spit that connects the mainland to an island.

Question 38

What is sand dune succession?

Answer 38

Formation and colonization of sand dunes in coastal areas.

Question 39

What abiotic factors aid the formation of sand dunes?

Answer 39

* Large, flat area of land * Supply of sand * Large intertidal range * Onshore prevailing wind * Obstacles to trap sand

Question 40

What are pioneer species in sand dune ecosystems?

Answer 40

First plants to colonize, adapting to harsh conditions.

Question 41

Where are mangroves typically found?

Answer 41

Tropical and subtropical conditions, mainly within 30 degrees latitude.

Question 42

What adaptations do mangroves have?

Answer 42

* Deep, thick roots * Height to avoid submersion * Ability to trap sediment

Question 43

Why are mangroves important?

Answer 43

* Natural coastal defense * Building materials * Fisheries * Tourism * Water purification

Question 44

What abiotic features are important for coral reefs?

Answer 44

* Light * Depth * Water temperature * Salinity * Waves * Clean water

Question 45

What are the biotic components of a coral reef?

Answer 45

* Producers * Consumers * Scavengers * Decomposers

Question 46

What is the Great Barrier Reef's significance?

Answer 46

It generates significant income through tourism but faces threats from industrialization.

Question 47

What threatens sand dunes?

Answer 47

* Sea level rise * Sand mining

Question 48

What threatens salt marshes?

Answer 48

* Sea level rise * Industrial pollution * Development

Question 49

What threatens mangroves?

Answer 49

* Deforestation * Overfishing * Pollution * Sea level rise

Question 50

What threatens coral reefs?

Answer 50

* Tourism activities * Global warming * Rising sea temperatures

Question 51

True or False: Coral reefs can survive in water temperatures below 18 degrees Celsius.

Answer 51

False.

Question 52

What are the main threats to coral reefs?

Answer 52

* Overfishing * Pollution * Global warming * Deforestation * Coastal development

Question 53

What causes coral bleaching?

Answer 53

Corals are stressed from warmer water temperatures, rising salinity, and high exposure to UV light, leading to loss of algae which gives corals their color.

Question 54

True or False: Pollution from fishing boats can damage coral reef habitat.

Answer 54

True

Question 55

What is eutrophication?

Answer 55

The process by which runoff from fertilizers and pesticides pollutes the sea.

Question 56

What do wildlife conservationists generally want?

Answer 56

An unpolluted, safe, and quiet environment.

Question 57

Fill in the blank: A rapid rise in sea level caused by low-pressure storms is known as a _______.

Answer 57

storm surge

Question 58

What is the main cause of tsunamis?

Answer 58

Underwater earthquakes displacing the water above.

Question 59

What are some methods for predicting flooding?

Answer 59

* Forecasting * GIS and satellite monitoring * Education

Question 60

What is the purpose of a sea wall?

Answer 60

To reflect the power of waves back out to sea and protect the base of cliffs, land, and buildings.

Question 61

List two advantages of groynes.

Answer 61

* Slows down beach erosion * Creates wider beaches

Question 62

What is beach replenishment?

Answer 62

Dumping sand and shingle back onto a beach to replace eroded material.

Question 63

True or False: Managed retreat involves constructing new defenses to extend the existing shoreline.

Answer 63

False

Question 64

What are the disadvantages of rock armour?

Answer 64

* Boulders can be eroded and dislodged during heavy storms * Sometimes leaves the beach inaccessible

Question 65

What is the primary aim of Shoreline Management Plans (SMP)?

Answer 65

To reduce the risk to people, settlements, and natural environments from flooding.

Question 66

What coastal management strategy is used in Marawila?

Answer 66

* Rock armour * Offshore breakwater * Beach replenishment * Groynes

Question 67

What does the 'Hold the line' strategy involve?

Answer 67

Building and maintaining coastal defenses to keep the current position of the coastline.

Question 68

What are the environmental impacts of deforestation on coastal areas?

Answer 68

Exacerbates runoff from agricultural practices and directly harms mangroves.

Question 69

Fill in the blank: The process of _______ involves restoring natural defenses like mangroves and coral reefs.

Answer 69

ecosystem rehabilitation

Question 70

What is the disadvantage of gabions?

Answer 70

Wire cages can break and are not as efficient as other coastal defenses.

Question 71

List two stakeholders in coastal environments and their interests.

Answer 71

* Local residents: Safe housing, jobs * Tourists: Attractive beaches, entertainment