Geography 🤓 Flashcards
(15 cards)
What CREATES waves?
Waves are caused by the wind dragging on the surface of the water. The length of water the wind blows over is called it fetch.
What FACTORS influence wave ENERGY?
The stronger the wind and,
The longer it blows for and,
The longer the fetch,
The larger the waves will be and,
The more energy the will have!
What are some characteristics of CONSTRUCTIVE waves?
- Low in height
- Less power than destructive waves
- Low energy
- Weak backwash
- Strong swash
What are some characteristics of DESTRUCTIVE waves?
- Much steeper and further apart
- Lots of energy
- Weak swash
- VERY Strong backwash
What are the FOUR erosional processes?
Hydraulic Action, Abrasion, Attrition, Solution
What is SWASH?
It is the water that moves up the beach.
What is BACKWASH?
It is the water moving back into the sea.
What is a CREST ?
It is the highest point of the wave.
What is a TROUGH?
It is the lowest - bottom - of the wave.
What is AMPLITUDE?
It is the wave height.This is the distance between the trough and the crest.
What is WAVELENGTH?
It is the distance between two waves - wave crest.
What is HYDRAULIC ACTION?
When a wave breaks against a cliff, air and water is forced into cracks in
the cliffs and increases pressure, causing rocks to break off.
What is ABRASION?
When waves break, the sediment (rock) is thrown and rubbed against the cliff.
What is SOLUTION?
Weak acids in sea water (caused through the transpiration of plants) will slowly
dissolve certain types of rock such as chalk and limestone as they contain calcium
carbonate
What is ATTRITION?
Attrition: Waves cause rocks and pebbles to smash into each other and become smaller
and more rounded
