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Geography > Coastal Landscapes in the UK > Flashcards

Coastal Landscapes in the UK Flashcards

(68 cards)

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1
Q

How do waves form?

A

waves form by the wind blowing over the sea, friction with the water’s surface causes ripples to form, which can then develop into waves

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2
Q

What is the energy of a wave determined by?

A

the strength of the wind
the duration of the wind
the distance of open water over which the wind blows - called the fetch

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3
Q

What motion do waves have in open water, and what happens to this motion when the waves approach the shore?

A

circular (orbital) motion
as the waves approach the shore, this orbital motion is interrupted by the shallowing seafloor, causing the waves to rise up and eventually break onto the beach

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4
Q

What are the two types of waves?

A

constructive and destructive?

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5
Q

What are the characteristics of constructive waves?

A

low wavelength so low frequency (8-10 waves per minute)
low energy
low wave height (under 1m)
wave front is gently sloping
strong swash, very weak backwash
build up a beach over time

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6
Q

What are the characteristics of destructive waves?

A

short wavelength so high frequency (10-14 waves per minute)
high energy
steep wave front
wave height of over 1m
restricted swash, very strong backwash

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7
Q

What are constructive waves formed by?

A

distant storms

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8
Q

What are destrutive waves formed by?

A

local storms

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9
Q

What happens to a constructive wave as it reaches the shore?

A

gains a little height, breaks and spills onto the beach
on breaking, they surge up the beach with a strong swash
water spreads a long way up the gently sloping beach
water soaks into the beach, resulting in a weak backwash
over time this build up the beach

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10
Q

What happens to a destructive wave as it reaches the shore?

A

gains much height
plunges on to a steep beach so does not travel far up the beach
over time this results in the beach being eroded

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11
Q

How do wave types vary throughout the year?

A

constructive waves are more common in the summe
destructive waves are more common in the winter, when frequent storms approach the UK
this explains why beaches vary in their profiles and material during the course of the year

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12
Q

What is weathering?

A

the decomposition or disintegration of rock in its original place or close to the ground surface

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13
Q

What are the two main types of weathering?

A

chemical and mechanical (physical)

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14
Q

What is biological weathering caused by?

A

living organisms such as nesting birds, burrowing rabbits and plant roots

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15
Q

What are the types of chemical weathering?

A

carbonation, hydrolysis, oxidation

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16
Q

What are the types of mechanical weathering?

A

freeze-thaw and salt weathering

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17
Q

What is carbonation?

A

carbon dioxide dissolved in rainwater forms a weak carbonic acid
this reacts with calcium carbonate (limestone and chalk) to form calcium bicarbonate, which is soluble and can be carried away by water

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18
Q

What is hydrolysis?

A

acidic rainwater reacts with minerals in granite, causing it to crumble

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19
Q

What is oxidation?

A

oxygen dissolved in water reacts with iron-rich minerals, causing rocks to crumble

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20
Q

What is freeze-thaw weathering?

A

repeated cycles of freezing and thawing causing water trapped in rocks to expand/contract, evetually causing rock fragments to break away

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21
Q

What is salt weathering?

A

crystals of salt, often evaporated from seawater, grow in cracks and holes, expanding to cause rock fragments to flake away

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22
Q

What are the types of mass movement?

A

rockfall, landslide, mudflow, rotational slip/slump

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23
Q

Where is mass movement active?

A

at the coast, particularly where cliffs are undercut by the sea, making them unstable

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24
Q

What is a rockfall?

A

individual fragments or chunks of rock falling off a cliff face, often resulting from freeze-thaw weathering

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25
What is a landslide?
sliding of blocks of rock moving rapidly downslope along a linear shape plane, usually lubricated by water
26
What is a mudflow?
saturated material (usually clay) flowing downhill, which may involve elements of sliding or slumping as well as flow
27
What is a rotational slip/slump?
slumping of loose material, often along a curved surface lubricated by water
28
What are the main processes of coastal erosion?
hydraulic power, abrasion/corrosion, attrition
29
What is solution?
the dissolving of soluble rocks, such as chalk and limestone (an additional type of coastal erosion)
30
What does coastal erosion involve?
the removal of material and sculpting of landforms coastal erosion processes work together to create landforms such as cliffs and wave-cut platforms
31
What is hydraulic power?
the sheer force of waves pounding the cliffs
32
What is abrasion/corrosion?
the scraping of rock surfaces by sand and pebbles carried by the waves
33
What is attrition?
the smoothing and rounding of pebbles as they knock against each other
34
What are the types of coastal transportation?
traction, saltation, suspension, solution, longshore drift
35
What is traction?
large particles rolling along the seabed
36
What is saltation?
a bouncing or hopping motion by pebbles too heavy to be suspended
37
What is suspension?
particles suspended within the water
38
What is solution?
chemicals dissolved in the water
39
What is the movement of sediment along the coastline called?
longshore drift
40
When does longshore drift occur?
when the wind direction drives the waves to arrive at an angle to the coast
41
What happens in longshore drift?
swash and backwash move sediment in a zigzag way along the beach to pile up against a headland, or alongside structures such as groynes
42
What is longshore drift responsible for the formation of?
coastal landforms including spits and beaches
43
What is coastal deposition?
where sediment carried by the sea is dropped and left behind
44
Where does coastal deposition typically occur?
areas of low wave energy, where velocity is reduced and sediment can no longer be transported by the sea common in bays or in areas sheltered by bars and spits also on wide beaches affected by constructive waves, close to rapidly eroding cliffs and on the updrift side of engineering structures such as groynes
45
What are the main types of soft engineering?
beach noursihment, beach reprofilling and dune regeneration
46
What is beach nourishment and reprofiling?
the addition of sand or pebbles to a beach to increase its height and/or width, providing protection from erosion or flooding by absorbing wave energy bulldozers can reprofile the beach to create high ridges
47
What are the costs of beach nourishment/reprofiling?
-up to £500,000 per 10m (but this can vary hugely depending on transport costs and quantity) -constant maintenance and reprofiling is required, particularly after winter storms -people may be prevented from using the beach for several weeks during maintenance
48
What are the benefits of beach nourishment/reprofiling?
-usually looks very natural and can improve the attractiveness of a stretch of coast -creates a useful amenity for tourism -relatively cheap and easy to maintain; barges bring the becah material onshore
49
What is dune regeneration?
plants such as marram grass can be sown to stabilise sand dunes and encurage them to develop, acting as a natural buffer to the sea fences can be used to protect dunes from human use
50
What are the costs of dune regeneration?
-£400-£2000 per 100m -time-consuming to plant the grass and maintain the area, keeping people off the newly planted vegetation -can be easily damaged by storms
51
What are the benefits of dune regeneration?
-considered natural by most people -can produce an attractive amenity for tourists - walking, picnics -may increase biodiversity, providing a greater range of natural habitats for plants, animals and birds
52
What are the main types of hard engineering?
sea walls, rock armour, gabions, groynes
53
What are sea walls?
commonly a concrete structure placed at the top of a beach or foot of a cliff to act as a physical barrier to the sea, preventing erosion or flooding
54
What are the costs of sea walls?
-£5000-£10000 per metre -very expensive, with high maintenance costs -can look very unattractive and obtrusive; very artificial in the natural landscape -interference with waves can lead to local scouring (undercutting of the sea wall) or refraction, leading to high-energy waves breaking elsewhere along the coast
55
What are the benefits of sea walls?
-usually very successful as a direct barrier to the sea -opportunities for developing the top of the sea wall as an amenity (walking, street stalls, etc.)
56
What is rock armour?
large, extremely tough boulders placed at the foot of a cliff or against a sea wall, forcing waves to break early, reducing their energy and protecting the coast from their full force
57
What are the benefits of rock armour?
-relatively cheap to construct and maintain - boulders arrive by barge -some amenity use, e.g. fishing
58
What are the costs of rock armour?
-£200,000 per 100m -boulders usually different rock type to the local area (much of it is imported from Norway) -can be ugly and obtrusive -potentially dangerous to the public
59
What are gabions?
wire cages filled with rocks commonly built up against a cliff to add support and reduce erosion, being permebale they improve cliff drainage
60
What are the costs of gabions?
-costs between £50 and £500 per metre -after about ten years their functionality is reduced as they start to rust -cages may break apart in storms, becoming dangerous, unattractive and ineffective -metal cages with rocks are not especially attractive
61
What are the benefits of gabions?
-very flexible construction options, like building with lego blocks -relatively cheap and quick to construct and maintain -quickly green over as plants colonise the area
62
What are groynes?
timber or rock structures protruding into the sea at right angles to the coast, sediment is trapped between the groynes, broadening the beach and affording greater protection to the coast by absorbing wave energy
63
Whatr are the costs of groynes?
-groynes can cost £10,000 to £100,000 per structure (depending on the type of material), usually constructed at 200m intervals -look artificial and some consider groynes to be an eyesore -by trapping sediment carried by longshore drift, they starve the beaches further down-drift, often increasing the risk of erosion and flooding -several groynes are often needed along a stretch of coast, increasing the cost -regular maintenance is needed, particularly after storms or when they become overtopped by deposited sediment
64
What are the benefits of groynes?
-very effective in trapping sediment transported by longshore drift -wider beach is a good amenity, providing opportunities for tourism
65
What is managed retreat (or coastal realignment)?
when you deliberately allow the sea to erode or flood an area in a controlled way
66
How does managed retreat work?
-a cost-benefit analysis is conducted prior to a decision being made -if costs outweigh the benefits, an area of land is identified for deliberate flooding, land woners compensated -low earth embankments may be constructed inland to protect high value land, property or roads -footpaths with be re-routed -old sea defences are deliberately breached to allow seawater to encroach over the land -gradually the flooded land turns into saltmarsh, establishing an important new wetland environmentt -as saltmarsh builds up, it creates a natural, sustainable buffer to the sea
67
What are the costs of managed retreat?
-costs will depend on the scale of the scheme, usually several million pounds -some low-value land will be lost to the sea, this could be farmland -local people may lose land, have to be relocated or lose access (footpaths) -some ecosystems may be affected by flooding
68
What are the benefits of managed retreat?
-long-term, sustainable solution with very low maintenance costs -creation of a natural buffer to the sea (saltmarsh), increasing protection of inland areas -creation of a new saltmarsh ecosystem -increases tourism, eg birder, walkers, etc. -more attractive than using other forms of coastal defences

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