Coasts- The Coastal System

Question 1

What is an input?

Answer 1

Material or energy moving into the system from outside eg.

• precipitation
• fluvial sediment
• wind

Question 2

What is an output?

Answer 2

Material or energy moving from the system to the outside eg.

• ocean currents
• riptides
• sediment transfer
• evapouration

Question 3

What is energy (in the coastal system)?

Answer 3

Power or driving force eg.

-the effects of gravity on cliffs and moving air (wind energy transferred to wave energy)

Question 4

What are stores/components?

Answer 4

The individual elements or parts of a system eg.

• beach
• spits
• bars
• sand dunes
• nearshore sediment

Question 5

What Are flows/transfers?

Answer 5

The links or relationships between the components eg.

• longshore drift
• erosion
• mass movement
• wind blown sand

Question 6

What is positive feedback? Give an example

Answer 6

Where a flow/transfer leads to increase of growth eg.
-coastal management such as groynes- trap sediment preventing it from reaching further along the beach, meaning these areas are further deprived of sediment- leading to more erosion elsewhere

Question 7

What is negative feedback? Give an example

Answer 7

Where a flow/transfer leads to decrease or decline eg.

• when the rate of weathering and mass movement exceeds the rate of cliff foot erosion, a scree slope is formed
• over time, this apron of material extends up the cliff face protecting the cliff face from subaerial processes
• leads to a reduction in the effectiveness of weathering and mass movement

Question 8

Dynamic equilibrium

Answer 8

When the inputs and outputs within a system are balanced eg.

• constructive waves build up a beach- making it steeper
• encourages formation of destructive waves
• redistribution of sediment offshore by destructive waves reduces beach gradient
• this in turn encourages the waves to become more constructive
• state of constant dynamic equilibrium between the type of wave and the angle of the beach

Question 9

Terrestrial factors influencing the coastline

Answer 9

• tectonics
• sub aerial processes
• biotic features
• supply of sediment
• fluvial processes
• glaciations

Question 10

Marine processes influencing the coastline

Answer 10

• fetch
• tides
• wave direction
• sea level change
• wave shape/size

Question 11

Human intervention influencing the coastline

Answer 11

• industrial and residential development
• sea defences
• pollution
• tourism and recreation
• conservation

Question 12

Atmospheric factors influencing the coastline

Answer 12

• global warming
• solar energy
• winds
• precipitation
• temperature

Question 13

What factors affect dynamic equilibrium?

Answer 13

• supply of sand (conservation and protection aim to maintain this)
• sea level changes (also influenced by global warming)
• location of the shoreline (sea defences)

Question 14

What are landforms?

Answer 14

Individual features which are created by coastal processes eg. stacks, wave cut platforms and spits

Question 15

What are landscapes?

Answer 15

• the entire are of sea, coastline and immediate land behind the sea front
• within the landscape are characteristic landforms