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Geography - Paper 1 > Coasts > Flashcards

Coasts Flashcards

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1
Q

Why?

Are coast an example of an open or closed system?

A

Open - It has inputs and outputs (matter is transferred).

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2
Q

Energy inputs and outputs in coasts

A

Inputs: wind, waves and tides
Outputs: wave enegry

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3
Q

Material inputs and outputs in coasts

A

Inputs: products of erosion (cliff and sub-ariel), fluvial and glacial processes
Outputs: beach sediment

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4
Q

What is a sediment cell

A

Coast can be split into sections - are often bordered by prominent headlands. Within these sections, the movement of sediment is almost contained and the flows of sediment act in dynamic equilibrium.

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5
Q

definition

Longshore drift

A

Sediment is moved along the beach, due to prevailing winds which alter the direction of the waves.

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6
Q

Littoral zone

A

Area of land between the cliff’s or dunes on the coast and the offshore area that is beyond the influence of waves.

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7
Q

characteristics

High energy coastlines

A

Are associated with more powerful waves (occur in areas with a large fetch). They typically have rocky headlands and landforms. Rate of erosion exceeds the rate of deposition.

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8
Q

characteristics

Low energy coastlines

A

Less powerful waves and occur in sheltered areas. The rate of deposition exceeds the rate of erosion.

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9
Q

4 factors affecting a beach’s dynamic equilibrium

A
  1. The supply of sand: gives shorelines protection from waves. (more sand = less prone to erosion
  2. Energy of waves: destructive waves are more likely to erode a beach
  3. Sea level: Rise in sea levels = more erosion
  4. Shoreline location: may be in area more prone to storms ( = more erosion)
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10
Q

Backshore

A

The area between the high water mark and the landward limit of marine activity - changes usuallly only take place during storm activity.

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11
Q

Inshore

A

The area beyond the point where waves cease to impact on the seabed and in which activity is limited to deposition of sediment.

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12
Q

Foreshore

A

The area lying between the high water mark and low water mark. Its the most important zone for marine processes in times not influenced by storm activity.

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13
Q

Offshore

A

The area between the low water mark and the waves cease to have any influence on the land beneath them.

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14
Q

How are waves formed?

A

Wind blows over the sea, friction with the surface of the water causes ripples to form which develops into waves.

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15
Q

definition

Fetch

A

The stretch of water over which the wind blows - the longer the fetch the more powerful a wave can become.

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16
Q

definition

Wave refraction

A

Waves break onto an irregularly shaped coastline dragging in shallower water creating high and short (in frequency) waves. The part of the wave in deeper water moves forward faster causing the wave to bend towards the headland causing greater erosion. Meanwhile, low energy waves cause deposition in bays either side of the headland.

Wave refraction is the process by which waves turn and lose energy around a headland on
uneven coastlines. The wave energy is focussed on the headlands , creating erosive features
in these areas. The energy is dissipated in bays leading to the formation of features associated
with lower energy environments such as beaches.

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17
Q

definition

Current

A

The permanent or seasonal movement of surface water in the seas or ocean.

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18
Q

definitions

3 types of currents

A

Longshore currents: (littoral drift) waves hit the coastline at an angle
Rip currents: move away from the shoreline
Upwelling: movement of cold water from deep in the ocean towards the surface

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19
Q

definition

Tide

A

Periodic rise and fall in the level of the sea, caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon. The moon pulls water towards it, creating a high tide

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20
Q

definition

Weathering

A

Breakdown/ disintergration of rock in situ or close to the ground

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21
Q

definitions

3 types of weathering

A

Mechanical: Water enters cracks in rocks freezes and the water expands exerting pressure on the rock widening it. This process repeats until the rock breaks apart.
Chemical: Rocks are exposed to air and moisture, so chemical processes can breakdown the rock - oxidation, carbonation etc
Biological: Breakdown of rocks by the action of vegetation and coastal organisms. Some animals can weaken cliffs by burrowing into them.

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22
Q

5

Types of mass movement

A

Landslides
Rockfall
Mudflows
Slumping
Soil Creep

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23
Q

Rockfall

A

Downward movement of rock fragments from a cliff face due to weathering processes e.g. freeze thaw.

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24
Q

Landslide

A

Movement of rock down a slope due to gravity

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25
Mudslide
Saturated soil/debris flow down a slope often triggered by heavy rainfall or snowmelt making soil unstable.
26
Slumping
Rock/soil moves down a slope along a curved, concave-upward slip plane, causing the material to rotate backwards as it descends
27
Soil creep
Very slow, movement of soil
28
Holbeck Hall
A significant landslide that occurred in North Yorkshire, England, between June 3 and 5, 1993, resulting in the destruction of the Holbeck Hall Hotel.
29
Hydraulic Action
The explosion of compressed air trapped in cracks of the cliffs by the waves.
30
Attrition
Rocks and pebbles carried by water collide and grind against each other, breaking them down into smaller, more rounded pieces
31
Abrasion (Corrasion)
Large waves hurl beach material against the cliff
32
Solution (Corrosion)
when salts in the sea dissolve the rocks of the cliff
33
Wave cut platform formation
Waves break against a cliff, erosion close to the high-tide line takes a bite out of to form a wave-cut notch. Over a long period of time the notch gets deeper until the underlying cliff can no longer support its own weight and collapse This cycle continues and the cliff line gradually retreats. In its place will be a gently sloping rocky platform - wave cut platform
34
# definition Ridges
A long, narrow strip of high ground, typically extending across a landscape
35
# definition Runnels
Water filled trough or depression on a beach between ridges and bars
36
# definition/ how are they formed? Ripples
Ripples are relatively small elongated ridges that form on the beach. Waves and currents flow across loose sand which is dragged along the bottom and is piled up to form ripples.
37
# definition/ how they are formed? Cusps
Semi-circular shaped depressions with coarser material around the edge and finer material in the middle Formed by a collection of waves reaching the same point and backwash scouring out the finer material in the centre.
38
# definition/ how they are formed? Berms
Small ridges that form near the high tide mark. Deposited by the swash of constructive waves. Can be a series of berms along the beach that indicate the weekly high tide cycle between spring and neap tides
39
# definition/formation Storm beach
A ridge found near the back of the beach composed of larger sediment. Deposited by waves during storm events It is formed from the biggest sediment thrown by the waves above the usual high tide mark.
40
# Definition/formation Bars
A spit that develops across a bay when there is no strong flow of water from the landward side.
41
# Definition/ formation Tombolo
A spit that joins an island to the mainland.
42
# Definition/Formation Barrier beach/island
An elongated bank of deposited sand or shingle lying parallel to the coastline and not submerged by incoming tides. Where the bank is high enough to allow sand dunes to develop it is known as a barrier islands.
43
# definition/formation Sand dunes
They are formed when prevailing winds blow sediment to the back of the beach - requires large quantities of sand and a large tidal range.
44
# Sand dunes - 6 Stages of succession
1. Embryo dunes develop where wind speeds slow and sand is deposited 2. Drought and salt tolerant plants colonise (pioneer species) 3. Foredunes develop - bigger dunes as more sand accumulates 4. Yellow dune to grey - dune layer starts to become fixed 5. Dune slacks - conditions are more favourable sheltered behind a large dune 6. Dune health - Larger trees, shrubs appear as the soil is altered PH and higher humus content.
45
# definition and formation Mudflats
Low lying areas of the shore that are submerged at high tide and are composed of silt and clay Only develop on sheltered shorelines that are not exposed to powerful waves. Often located in estuaries where rivers meet the sea/ behind a spit. They develop on top of estuaries
46
# definition and example Isostatic change
Local change in sea level resulting in land rising or falling relative to the sea. It is often as a result of isostatic subsidence (depressed land as a result of glacial ice) When the ice melts the pressure of it is removed (isostatic recovery). Scotland and nw England are rising at around 1.5mm a year. Subsequently se England is subsiding at 1mm a year
47
# definition and example Eustatic change
Eustatic change affects sea level across the globe as a result of thermal contraction or expansion (water expanding when it gets warmer, increasing in volume leading to rising sea levels). In the last ice age sea levels were over 100m lower than now as it was stored as ice caps and majority of precipitation was snow. Miami's facing problems with much of the coastal strip flooding regularly due to high tides as a result of rising sea levels.
48
Which occurs quicker isostatic or eustatic change?
Eustatic
49
# definition/ formation Rias
Formed when rising sea levels flood river valleys
50
# definition/ formation Fjords
Formed when rising sea levels flood deep glacial valleys. primarily a product of glacial erosion. coastal
51
# Definition Shoreline management plan
Each sediment cell in the UK has a SMP which identifies natural and human activities that occur.
52
# Strategies - 4 Shoreline Management Plan
Hold the line: Defences are used to maintain the current position of the shoreline Managed retreat: Defences are used to allow the coastline to advance inland and create its own natural defences i.e. salt marshes. Advance the line: Defences are built to try and move the shoreline seaward No active intervention: The coastline is exposed to natural processes
53
How does vegetation help stabilise coastal sediment
- roots of the plants binds soil together reducing soil erosion - when completely submerged they provide a protective layer for the ground reducing erosion - plants reduce wind speed at the surface s
54
Embryo dune
Forms on the upper beach area where sand starts to accumulate around a small obstacle e.g. driftwood, wooden peg or ridge of a shinge.
55
Yellow dunes
More sand accumulates and the dune grows, vegetation may develop on the upper and back dune surfaces which stabilises the dune (tallest of the dune succession. | after embryo
56
Grey dunes
Sand develops into soil with lots of moisture and nutrients as vegetation dies, enabling more varied plant growth | after yellow dunes
57
Dune Slack
The water table rises closer to the surface or water is trapped between the hollows between dunes during storms allowing the development of moisture loving plants e.g. willow grass | after grey dunes
58
Heath and Woodland
Sandy soils develop as there is greater nutrient content allowing less brackish plants to thrive. Trees will also grow (willow, birch, oak) with the coastal woodland becoming a natural windbreak to the mainland behind | after dune slack
59
Estuarine mudflats and saltmarshes
when the flow of water from the river meets the incoming tides and waves from the sea it causes water flow to cease so it can no longer carry sediment. It may also occur in sheltered areas such as behind a spit or other areas where there is no strong tides or currents to prevent sediment deposition and accumulation. As most of the sediment is small, it leads to the build up of mud until it eventually rises above water level. Deposition occurs as a result of flocculation
60
Dalmatian coasts
Occurs when valleys running parallel to the coast become flooded as a result of sea level change. This leaves a series of narrow, long and rugged islands - the best examples can be seen in Croatia.
61
Storm surge
Is as a result of low pressure created by large weather events like a tropical storm. It raises the sea level and therefore poses a significant flooding risk as it has the potential to innudate flood defences.
62
Factors that increase the severity of storm surges
- Removing natural vegetation - mangroves provide protection against extreme weather events like cyclones which are common in the bay of bengal. They trap sediment leadint to accretion on the coastline - Global warming - as the ocean surface gets warmer it is predicted that the frequency and intensity of storm will increase and so will storm surges and flooding

Geography - Paper 1 (5 decks)

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