Coasts- Lesson 4 Sediment Cells & High Low Energy Coastlines Flashcards
Where does coastal sediment come from?
- seabed
- beaches
- river channels and estuaries
- erosion from cliffs
- material from biological origin
How many different sediment cells are there around the coastline of England and Wales?
11
What are the sediment cells in the UK?
- St Abb’s Head
- Flamborogh Head
- The Wash
- River Thames
- Selsey Bill
- Portland Bill
- Land’s End
- St David’s Head
- Bardsey Sound
- Great Orme
- Solway Firth
What is a sediment cell?
A sediment cell is a length of coastline within which the movement of sediment is largely self contained. Within all marine processes of erosion, transportation and deposition operate.
Sediment cells have inputs, outputs and outputs, what are they?
Inputs- primarily from the river, coastal erosion and offshore sources such as banks and bars
Transfers- longshore drift mainly, together with rip currents
Outputs- beach, sand dunes and offshore deposits (bars)
High energy coast lines have…
High wave power for most of the year
Strong winds are most common in…
Cool temperature western maritime climates
Storm wave environments are found…
Between 45 and 65 degrees north and south of the equator
Wave height and wave energy are higher in the… because…
Southern Hemisphere because westerly winds (Antarctic drift) have largely uninterrupted passages.
Where do waves have the longest fetch?
Waves that hit chile
In the northern hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere, whatcha direction does the wind blow?
Northwest
Southeast
Why is the west a high energy coastline?
Dominant prevailing wind and the longest fetch
Fetch is a limiting factor in what sea?
North Sea
Where is a low energy coastline?
Baltic and Mediterranean because they are enclosed and have a short fetch so not a lot of energy to waves
