Coasts Flashcards
(176 cards)
what are the different sources of energy
-wind
-tide
-waves
-currents
wind energy
the formation of waves
-waves are created by energy passing through water causing it to move in circular motion
-however water does not actually travel in waves
-waves transmit energy not water across an entire ocean and if not obstructed by anything they have the potential to travel across an entire ocean basin
-waves are most commonly caused by wind
-wind driven waves are created by the frictional drag between wind and surface water
-as wind blows across the surface of the ocean the continual disturbance creates a wave crest as the wave approaches the shore disturbance to the circular motion beneath the surface leads to more horizontal wave movement and the wave breaks
what are the two different wave types
-constructive
-destructive
what are constructive waves
-add material to the coastline
-strong swash
-low waves with long wavelength
-formed by distant weather systems
what are destructive waves
-remove material from the coastline
-strong backwash
-tall in relation to length
-causes cliff face erosion
-common during winter storms
what are the causes of tides
-tides are predictable even though the time and size of them are based on the position of the sun and moon relative to earth
-get 2 high and 2 low tides a day
what determines the amount of gravity
-mass
-porximity
why are spring tides exceptionally high and neap tides low
-both pulling in the same plane meaning it will be a high tides
-however neap tide there is pull in one way with the sun out having different pull with the moon
what is tidal range
-tidal range is the difference in height between the low and high tide marks
spring tide
-increased gravitational pull
-increasing range
neap tide
-sun and moon are at 90 degrees to the earth gravitational pull is less effective
-high tide is less and low tide is higher
high energy coast
-no beach meaning it has never been formed due to no deposition
-destructive waves
-erosion of landforms
-rocky coastline
-contains cliffs and headlands
-erosion exceeds deposition
low energy coast
-constructive waves
-beachy sand and seaweed
-strand lines show high tide lines on the beach
-large flat beach with high material meaning low amounts of erosion
-sheltered areas such as bays
-depositional landforms such as beaches and spits
what is hydraulic action
refers to the impact on rocks and the sheer force of water itself (without debris) this can exert enormous pressure upon a rock surface thus weakening it
what is wave quarrying
a breaking wave traps air as it hits a cliff face the air is compressed into any gaps causing huge pressures. as the water retreats there is an explosive effect of the air pressure being released which weakens the cliff face and allows storms to remove large chunks of it
what is abrasion/corrosion
eroded material being thrown against the rock by the waves and also conducts erosion of wave cut platforms due to movement of material back and fourth
what is attrition
rocks which are carrying out abrasion slowly worn down into smaller rounder particles
what is solution
not overly common as sea water is generally alkaline rather than acidic, however where sea water interacts with freshwater supplies carbon bared rocks may be dissolved
traction
large particles like boulders are pushed along the sea bed by the force of the water
saltation
pebble sized particles are bounded along the sea bed by the force of water
what is suspension
small particles like silt and clay are carried along in the water
what is solution
soluble materials dissolve in the water and are carried along
what is longshore drift
movement of material along a beach usually at the angle of the prevailing winds (90 degrees)