Coastal Environments Flashcards
(167 cards)
What is the coast
The zone of transition between land and sea
How far does the offshore zone extend from land
As far as 370km
How far does the onshore zone extend
Up to 60km inland
What affects the size and energy of a wave (3)
- The strength of the wind
- The length of time the wind has been blowing for
- The distance over which the winds had been blowing (the fetch)
How do waves work
- Created by wind blowing over surface of sea
- As the wind blows, friction is created producing a swell in the water
- Energy in the wind causes water particles to rotate inside the swell, moving the wave forward
- As waves near the coast, they enter shallower waters friction with the sea bed causes the wave to tip forwards so that it eventually breaks
What is the backwash
The water that flows back towards the sea
What is the swash
The water that rushes up the beach
What is a constructive wave and what effect will it have on the beach
Where the swash is greater than the backwash - the beach is built up as sediment is deposited
What is a destructive wave and what does it do to the beach
The backwash is stronger than the swash - the beach is eroded
What is wave refraction and what does it cause
The “bending” of wave fronts caused by the speed of the waves being reduced by friction with the sea floor, causing headlands to receive high energy waves and bays to receive low energy waves, so there is more erosion on the headlands
How do constitutive and destructive waves differ on the eye (2)
- Destructive are tall and steep and close together, but constructive are low and further apart
- Destructive 13-15 per minute, constructive 6-8 per minute
What conditions form constructive and destructive waves
Stormy - destructive
Clear - constructive
What is hydraulic action
Waves smashing against cliff. Air becomes trapped in cracks and causes rocks to crack
What is the biggest contributor to erosion of the processes of erosion
Hydraulic action
What is abrasion
When pebbles grind along a rock platform, making it smooth, like sandpaper
What is attrition
When rocks in the sea knock against each other, breaking apart to become smaller and more rounded
What is solution as a process of erosion
When sea water dissolves certain rocks e.g. limestone and chalk
What is longshore drift
Sediment is carried by the waves along the coastline - straight up onto the beach from the swash, but then the backwash is diagonal. This is repeated along a zigzag movement
What is deposition
When the sea loses energy it drops the material it has been carrying. This can be due to 1. Shallow water 2. Sheltered areas e.g. bays 3. Drop in wind, e.g. after a storm
What is solution as a process of transportation
When minerals in rock e.g. chalk and limestone are dissolved in seawater and carried in solution
What is suspension
Small particles such as silts and clays are suspended in the flow of the water
What is saltation
Where small pieces of shingle or large sand grains are bounced along the sea bed
What is traction
Where pebbles and larger material are rolled along the sea bed
What are the 3 types of weathering
Mechanical
Biological
Chemical