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Physical geography > Coastal systems and landscapes > Flashcards

Coastal systems and landscapes Flashcards

1
Q

What is the coastal system?

A

The coast is an open system as it receives inputs from outside the system and transfers outputs away from the coast and into other systems

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2
Q

What is a sediment cell?

A

Areas along the coastline and in the nearshore area where the movement of materials is largely self contained - they are often boarded by prominent headlands

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3
Q

What are inputs?

A

Usually referring to material / energy:
-Marine = waves, tides
-Atmosphere = Sun , air pressure, wind speed / direction
-Humans = pollution, recreation, settlements, defences

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4
Q

What are outputs?

A

Ocean currents
Rip rides
Sediment transfer
Evaporation

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5
Q

Types of stores /sinks?

A

Beaches
Sand dunes
Spits
Bars and tombolos
Headlands and bays
Nearshore sediment
Cliffs
Wave cut notches
Wave cut platforms
Caves
Arches
Stacks
Stumps
Salt marshes
Tidal flats
Offshore bands and bars

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6
Q

Types of transfers and flows?

A

Wind blown sands
Mass movement processes
Longshore drift
Weathering
Erosion ( hydraulic action, corrosion, attrition, abrasion)
Transportation ( bedload , in suspension, traction, in solution)
Deposition (gravity settling, flocculations)

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7
Q

Types of energy in the coastal system?

A

Wind
Gravitational
Flowing water

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8
Q

What are the sediment sources?

A

Rivers
Cliff erosion
Wind
Glacier
Offshore
LSD

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9
Q

Why are rivers sediment sources?

A

Account for majority of sediment in coastal zones
Sediment may be deposited in estuaries

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10
Q

Why is cliff erosion a sediment source?

A

Very important in areas with unconsolidated cliffs that are eroded easily. More erosion occurs during winter months due to more frequent storms

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11
Q

Why is wind a sediment source?

A

-The wind is a coastal energy source and can cause sand to be blown along or up a beach
-Sediment transport by winds may occur where there are sand dunes which provide sediment inputs

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12
Q

Why are glaciers a sediment source?

A

Glaciers can flow directly into the ocean depositing sediment that was stored in the ice

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13
Q

Why is offshore a sediment source?

A

Sediment is transferred to the coastal zone when waves, tides and currents erode offshore sediment sinks. This is transported to the beach

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14
Q

Why is longshore drift a sediment source?

A

Sediment is moved along the beach, due to prevailing winds which alter the direction of the waves. This allows sediment to be transported from one section of the coastline to another stretch of the coastline

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15
Q

What are sediment budgets?

A

Use data id inputs, outputs, stores and transfers to access the gains and losses of sediment within a sediment cell

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16
Q

What is the littoral zone?

A

Area of land between the cliffs or dunes on the coast and the offshore area that is beyond the influence of the waves

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17
Q

What short term factors change the littoral zone?

A

Tides / storm surges

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18
Q

What long term factors change the. littoral zone ?

A

Changes in sea level / human intervention

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19
Q

What is the primary source of energy for natural systems?

A

The sun

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20
Q

What is wave formation?

A

When the sun has direct influence on the formation of waves, which occur when wind moves across the surface of the water

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21
Q

How is frictional drag created?

A

When winds move across the surface of the water, this causes small ripples and waves

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22
Q

How is the horizontal movement of waves caused?

A

As the seabed becomes shallower towards the coastline, the orbit of the water particles beckons more elliptical

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23
Q

What happens when waves break?

A

It surges up the beach

24
Q

What happens when the wave height increases?

A

The wavelength and wave both decrease

25
Q

What are factors affecting wave energy?

A

-Strength of the wind
-Duration of the wind
Size of the fetch

26
Q

What is strength of the wind?

A

The larger the pressure gradient between two area, the stronger the winds. As waves are caused by the wind, stronger winds also means stronger waves

27
Q

What is the duration of the wind?

A

If the wind is active for longer periods of time, then the energy of the waves will build up and increase

28
Q

What is the size of the fetch?

A

The fetch is the distance over which the wind blows and the larger it is, the more powerful the waves will be

29
Q

What are constructive waves?

A

Act to build up and create a beach and increase its size

30
Q

What are destructive waves?

A

Act to remove the beach and decrease its size

31
Q

What is a constructive waves characteristics?

A

-Low waves, which surge up the beach
-Strong swash, weak backwash
-Occurs on gently slopes beaches
-Long wavelength

32
Q

What is a destructive waves characteristics?

A

-Formed by localised storm events close to the coast
-Weak swash, strong backwash
-High waves, which plunge on to the beach
-Occurs on steeply sloped beaches

33
Q

What waves are common in summer?

A

Constructive waves

34
Q

What waves are common in winter?

A

Destructive waves

35
Q

What is the tidal range?

A

The difference in height between the tides- this tends to be largest in channels

36
Q

What happens when the sun and moon are in allingment?

A

The highest high tide and the lowest low tides- their gravitational forces work with each other. This is a spring tide

37
Q

What happens when the sun arms moon are perpendicular?

A

The lowest high tide and highest low tides occur. This is a neap tide and has the smallest possible tidal range

38
Q

What are rip currents?

A

Powerful underwater currents occurring in areas close to the shorelines on some beaches when plunging waves cause a buildup of water at the top of the beach

39
Q

What are high energy coastlines?

A

-Associated with more powerful waves, occur in areas where there is a large fetch
-They typically have rock headlands and landforms and fairly frequent destructive waves

40
Q

What are high energy coastlines ar result of?

A

Eroding as the rate of erosion exceeds the rate of deposition

41
Q

What are low energy coastlines?

A

Have less powerful waves and occur in sheltered areas where constructive waves prevail and as a result these are often fairly sandy areas

42
Q

What are low energy coastlines a result of?

A

Deposition exceeding the rates of erosion- they are landforms of deposition

43
Q

What is wave refraction?

A

-Process by which waves turn and lose energy around a headland on uneven coastlines.

-The wave energy is focused on the headlands, this creates erosive features in these areas

44
Q

What is negative feedback in the formation of headlands?

A

Erosion leads to the formation of headlands where resistant rock exists and bays where unconsolidated rocks and clays are dominant. This then increases the forces of erosion on headlands and reduced erosion in the bays

45
Q

What is corrosion (type of erosion)?

A

Sand and pebbles are pick up by the sea from an offshore sediment sink and hurled against the cliff at high tide

46
Q

What is abrasion (erosion)

A

Sediment is moved along the shoreline, causing to to be worn down over time

47
Q

What is hydraulic action?

A

As a wave crashes onto a rock or cliff face, air is forced into the cracks and the high pressure causes the cracks to force apart

48
Q

What is corrosion / solution (erosion)

A

The mildly acidic seawater can cause alkaline rock such as limestone to be eroded

49
Q

What is wave quarrying? (erosion)

A

This is when breaking waves hit the cliff face to directly pull away rocks from a cliff face or remove smaller weathered fragments

50
Q

What are factors affecting erosion?

A

-Waves
-Beach size and presence
-Activity of subaerial processes
-Rock faults
-Rock lithology

51
Q

What is coastal transpiration?

A

Responsible for transferring sediment within a sediment cell and between other sediment cells

52
Q

What is traction?

A

Large, heavy sediment rolls along the sea bed, pushed by currents

53
Q

What is saltation?

A

Smaller, sediment bounces along the sea bed

54
Q

What is suspension?

A

Small sediment is carried within the flow of water

55
Q

What is solution?

A

Dissolved material is carried within the water

56
Q

What is longshore drift?

A

-Waves hit the beach at an angle determined by the direction of prevailing wind
-The waves push sediment in this direction and up the beach in the swash
-The wave then carries sediment back down from the beach in the backwash
-This moves sediment along the beach over time

57
Q

What is deposition?

A

Occurs when sediment becomes too heavy for the water to carry, or if the wave loses energy

Physical geography (5 decks)

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