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Geography > Coastal Environments in the UK > Flashcards

Coastal Environments in the UK Flashcards

(56 cards)

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1
Q

What factors affect wave size

A

Wind strength
Fetch
Time Wind has blown for

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2
Q

What is prevailing wind

A

The most prominent wind direction at a specific time

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3
Q

What is the prevailing wind in the UK

A

SW

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4
Q

How does wind strength affect wave size

A

The stronger the wind, the greater the friction on the sea, the bigger the wave

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5
Q

How does wind duration affect wave size

A

The longer the wind has been blowing, the more energy is transferred to the surface of the sea, the bigger the wave

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6
Q

Why do waves break

A

Friction slows the base of waves whilst the top maintains its speed

This causes the top of the wave to topple over the base

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7
Q

What is swash

A

The movement of the wave up the beach

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8
Q

What is backwash

A

Gravity moving the wave down the beach

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9
Q

What are constructive waves like

A

Shallow
Low energy
Strong swash, weak backwash

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10
Q

What do constructive waves do

A

Build up the beach by depositing material in the swash

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11
Q

What are destructive waves like

A

Steep
High energy
Weak swash, strong backwash

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12
Q

What do destructive waves do

A

Erode the beach by dragging material in the backwash

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13
Q

What is coastal erosion

A

The loss of land and/or the removal of material along the coastline as a result of destructive waves and other hydrological processes

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14
Q

How does hydraulic action work

A

Waves force water into cracks in rocks, this compresses the air inside

This explosive action of trapped air in a rock is called cavitation

Cavitation leads to loose sediment entering the ocean.

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15
Q

How does attrition work

A

Kinetic energy transferred to rocks by waves causes the rocks to swash into each other

These rocks get broken up and worn down and eventually end up on the shore

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16
Q

How does solution work

A

Seawater is slightly acidic and can dissolve material from the coastline

This is particularly apparent in limestone and chalk as they contain calcium carbonate which is easily dissolved

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17
Q

How does abrasion work

A

Waves smash rocks into the coastline

This causes the coastline to be worn away and chipped

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18
Q

What is coastal transport

A

The movement of sediment, eroded from the coastline, by waves

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19
Q

What determines how sediment is transported

A

The size of the sediment

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20
Q

How does solution transport material

A

Dissolved material is carried along the coastline by waves

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21
Q

How does saltation transport material

A

Small pebbles moving along the seas floor by hitting each other

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22
Q

How does suspension transport materials

A

Fine sediment is suspended in the water and moved with the direction of the waves

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23
Q

How does traction move material

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A

Larger pebbles and cobbles roll along the seafloor

24
Q

What is the direction of coastal transport in the SW

25
What is weathering
When rock is broken down by physical, biological and chemical means
26
What is weathering mostly caused by
Meteorological and climatic factors
27
How can physical processes weather rock
When water freezes it expands and makes cracks in rocks bigger When the ice thaws, water seeps deeper into the rock This process repeats and causes fragments of rock to break off and fall to the base fo the cliff (scree)
28
What types of rocks are more vulnerable to weathering by physical processes
Permeable and porous rocks (as water can seep deeper into them)
29
How can chemical processes weather rock
Rainwater absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and become slightly acidic Calcium carbonate in rocks can be dissolved by carbonic acid in rainwater
30
How can biological processes weather rock
Plants and animals break up and crack rocks Burrowing animals may break up or destabilise rocks Plants can break up rocks as their roots grow
31
What is mass movement
The downwards movement of materials due to gravitational pull
32
What is a rockfall
The free-fall of rocks from a cliff face This is worsened by freeze-thaw action This forms a scree slope at the base of the cliff
33
What is a mudflow
A rapid movement following rainfall This occurs when there is not enough vegetation to hold topsoil in place This occurs on slopes >10°
34
What is a rotational slip
A rapid movement of earth or rock sliding along a concave plane This occurs after periods of heavy rain
35
What is a landslide
Earth, pebbles, rocks and boulders sliding down a slope
36
What is a landform
A feature of the landscape that has been formed by erosion, transportation or deposition
37
What is a headland
A piece of land jutting out into the sea, made from more resistant rock
38
What is a bay
A part of the coast where the land curves in so that the sea is surrounded by land on three sides
39
By which erosional processes are most coastal landforms made
Abrasion and hydraulic action
40
What is a discordant coastline
A coastline made up of alternating bands of hard and soft rock This results in the formation of headlands and bays
41
Why do discordant coastline result in the formation of headlands and bays
Soft rock erodes faster, leaving an indent, m while hard rock sticks out into the sea to form a headland
42
What is a wave-cut platform
A flat area the sea has eroded at the bottom of a cliff This is caused by the cliff collapsing at high-tide level due to wave-cut notches
43
What is a wave-cut notch
A dent at the base of a cliff that the sea has eroded This gets bigger and an overhang forms The weight of the overhang eventually causes the cliff to collapse; the cliff retreats and leaves a wave-cut platform at its base
44
What is long-shore drift
The transportation and deposition of eroded material along the coastline
45
How does LSD work
Waves approach the beach at an angle The backwash carries the sediment down the beach due to gravity This repeats, moving sediment across the beach laterally
46
When does water deposit sediment
When the water no longer has the energy to carry the sediment
47
What is wave refraction
Shallow water results in friction that slows down the wave This causes other parts of the wave to curve around the area of shallow water, sheltering the regions beside it
48
What is a spit
A stretch of sand of shingle jutting out into the sea from the land
49
How do spits form
LSD carries sediment When the shape of the coastline changes, deposition occurs, forming a spit
50
When do hooks form on spits
When there is a change in wind direction
51
How to marshes and mudflats form behind spits
Waves cannot get past the spit, sheltering the water behind it Silts are deposited here to form marshes and flats
52
What is a bar
A spit that has grown across a bay, connecting two headlands
53
How does a lagoon form
A bar traps a body of water behind it
54
What is a tombolo
A spit that has grown from the shoreline to an island
55
How do sand dunes form
Embryo dunes are formed around deposited objects These develop and become stabilised by vegetation Vegetation rots and adds organic material to the dune, making it more fertile More plants colonise the dune
56
What does Marram grass do in the formation of sand dunes
Marram grass is adapted to windy conditions and has long roots to find water These roots help to bind and stabilise the dune

Geography (10 decks)

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