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coasts Flashcards

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1
Q

what is the littoral zone made up off.

A

1 - coast
2 - backshore
3 - foreshore
4 - nearshore
5 - offshore

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2
Q

what do long term changes do to a coastline

A

emergent or submerging coastlines depending on the sea level changes.
rocky or estuarine depending on their geological resistance.
concordant or discordant coastlines

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3
Q

short term changes to a coastline

A

these are classified by their tidal range, they can be either advancing or retreating coastlines depending on the rate of erosion and deposition. they can have a low or high energy.

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4
Q

characteristics of a high energy coast

A
  • large powerful destructive waves
  • exposure to strong winds, long fetches and steeply shelving offshore zones.
  • higher rates or erosion
  • rocky coasts with sandy coves
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5
Q

characteristics of a low energy coast

A
  • small gentle constructive waves
  • gentle winds, sheltered location, short fetch
  • higher rate of deposition
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6
Q

what are destructive waves

A

high and steep and they have a high frequency removing material from the beach

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7
Q

what constructive waves

A

low frequency and have a long wavelength. they add material to the beach.

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8
Q

what are sediment cells made up from and give example of each.

A

sources - rivers
transfers - longshore drift
sinks - sand dunes, beaches

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9
Q

example of a sediment cell

A

an example of this is Portland Bill.

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10
Q

what are discordant coastlines

A

this is where headlands and bays form due to erosion and the alternating of hard and soft rock

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11
Q

what is a concordant coastline

A

this is where coves form and the bands of rock are running parallel to the coastline.

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12
Q

what are Dalmatian coasts

A

mostly formed by tectonic folding. this creates downward sloping and also upward sloping.

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13
Q

what are haff coastlines

A

deposits of sand and other materials run parallel to the coastline on top of an offshore bar.

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14
Q

give me an example of hard rock and soft rock.

A

hard rock - granite
soft rock - clay

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15
Q

what are cliff profiles

A

its dependant on the reistancy of the rock and the energy of the coastline.

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16
Q

what happens if a strata dips horizontally.

A

this can create notches but if the become too large this can cause a rockfall.

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17
Q

what happens if the strata dips away from the coast

A

there is no undercutting and the cliff will be stable.

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18
Q

what is bedrock lithology

A

there is highly resistant rock which is known as igneous rocks. metamorphic rocks have some resistance and sedimentary rocks have limited resistance.

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19
Q

what are the three types of weathering

A

mechanical
chemical
biological

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20
Q

what is mechanical weathering

A

freeze-thaw weathering, saline water causes salt weathering.

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21
Q

what is chemical weathering

A

breakdown of rock by changing its chemical composition. carbonation is when carbon dioxide produces carbonic acid in rain. oxidation rocks containing iron are exposed to oxygen in the air.

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22
Q

what is biological weathering

A

weathering through the action of plants and animals

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23
Q

what is mass movement

A

mass movement is the shifting of material downhill due to gravity.

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24
Q

what is rotational slumping

A

when the material slides downslope at a curved angle. it retains its shape and usually occurs over a long period of time.

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25
how does weathering influence coastal recession
it weakens the cliff face and makes it more vulnerable
26
how does mass movement influence coastal recession
can add material to the beach which helps to strengthen the beach.
27
what are the four main types of erosion
- hydraulic action - abrasion - attrition - corrosion
28
what is abrasion
rock and sediment scrapping along rocks and the cliff
29
what is attrition
rocks smashing together making them smaller
30
what is corrosion
seawater dissolves soluble rocks
31
what landforms are created by erosion
- notch - cave - wave cut platform
32
how is a notch formed
weathering and wave erosion create a notch at the high tide mark
33
how is a cave formed
with more erosion the notch becomes a cave.
34
how is a wave cut platform formed
the cave becomes unstable and will collapse leaving behind a wave ut platform.
35
what can refraction create
- arches - blowholes - stacks
36
how is an arch formed
this is when a cliff is eroded and there becomes a hole within the rock but is still attached to the cliff by a headland
37
how is a blowhole formed
sea water erodes the the top of the arch and creates a weakness in the joint of the rock.
38
how is a stack formed
the top of an arch collapses leaving a stack behind.
39
what factors influence the rate of erosion
- wave type - wave size - lithology
40
what factors influence the rate of recession
- tides - wave direction and fetch - weather systems, seasons and storms
41
what human factors can influence coastal recession
- building a dam - building coastal defences - dredging offshore bars
42
how can building a dam affected coastal recession
can influence the movement of sediment and reducing the sediment for longshore drift leading to increased rates of erosion
43
how can building coastal defences affect coastal recession
retains sediment but stops sediment being transported down the beach to other areas.
44
what happened in the Nile Delta
it is considered a densely populated area and the coastline is under threat due to rising sea levels and high levels of erosion.
45
what problems is the nile delta getting from rising sea levels
- make it hard to farm due to flooding and water salination. - fish species are dying due to the water being too salty. - since the building of the dam sediment has reduces significantly.
46
how can coastal erosion cause economic losses
- loss of property - loss of land use - affect local business like campsites
47
how can coastal erosion cause social problems
- causes people to move which can break up communities and cause depopulation - those who stay may feel isolated - loss of livelyhood
48
what different factors affect sediment transportation
- wave action - tide - tidal range and currents
49
what are the 4 main transportation processes.
- solution - saltation - traction - suspension
50
how are beaches formed
when constructive waves deposit sediment on the shore
51
what is a spit
deposited material creating a bank of sand and shingle at the end of the river mouth.
52
what is a cuspate foreland
when two spits form in opposite directions and merge into a low lying triangular shape.
53
what is a double spit
occur on opposite sides of the bay and both extend towards each other.
54
what are bars
bars are formed when a spit forms 2 headlands together
55
where can bars occur
across a bay or a river mouth
56
what is a tombolo
a bar that connects the shore to an island
57
how can a tombolo be formed
by wave refraction occurring around an island
58
what is a barrier beach
long, narrow island of sand and gravel that run parallel to the shore and are detached from it.
59
how do plants stabilise material
their roots acts as a web that helps to cement the material within place.
60
what is succession
when an ecosystem changes over time.
61
where do mudflats and saltmarshes form
they form in sheltered, low energy environments like river estuaries or behind spits.
62
how are mudflats developed
silt and mud being deposited by a river or the tide.
63
what is eustatic sea level change
this is the change in the volume of water within the sea.
64
what is isostatic sea level change
the movement of the land
65
how are emergent coastlines formed
they are formed by falling sea level
66
what are the different emerging coastlines
raised beaches and fossil cliffs
67
what is a raised beach
when sea level falls leaving beaches above the high tide mark.
68
how are fossil cliffs formed
vegetation covers the raised beaches and this is known as a fossil cliff.
69
how are submergent coastlines formed
formed by rising sea levels
70
what is a rias
formed when a river valley have been partially submerged
71
how are fjords formed
when a glacial valley is submerged due to rising sea level.
72
why is Bangladesh vulnerable to coastal flooding.
- 10m above sea level or less - around 20 million people live 1m above sea level - tropical cyclones causes storm surges
73
social impacts of storm surges
- contaminate drinking water - communities being isolated - damage buildings and infrastructure - blocked roads and drains
74
economic impacts of storm surges
- freshwater contamination - effect farming practices - affect trade - damage infrastructure
75
what are the hard engineering strategies
- sea wall - revetment - offshore breakwaters - rip rap - groynes
76
what are revetments
slanted structures built at the foot of the cliff.
77
what are the soft engineering strategies
- beach nourishment - dune stabilisation - cliff regrading - cliff drainage
78
how can sustainable management lead to local conflict.
limited resources protecting land preventing access
79

geography (8 decks)

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