Key Words

Question 1

Landscape

Answer 1

An extensive area of land regarded as being visually and physically distinct

Question 2

Abrasion (or corrasion)

Answer 2

The wearing away of cliffs by sediment flung by breaking waves

Question 3

Arch

Answer 3

A wave-eroded passage through a small headland. This begins as a cave formed in the
headland, which is gradually widened and deepened until it cuts through.

Question 4

Attrition

Answer 4

Erosion caused when rocks and boulders transported by waves bump into each other and
break up into smaller pieces.

Question 5

Bar

Answer 5

Where a spit grows across a bay, a bay bar can eventually enclose the bay to create a lagoon. Bars can also form offshore due to the action of breaking waves

Question 6

Beach

Answer 6

The zone of deposited material that extends from the low water line to the limit of storm
waves. The beach or shore can be divided in the foreshore and the backshore.

Question 7

Beach nourishment

Answer 7

The addition of new material to a beach artificially, through the dumping of large amounts of sand or shingle.

Question 8

Beach reprofiling

Answer 8

Changing the profile or shape of the beach. It usually refers to the direct transfer of material
from the lower to the upper beach

Question 9

Cave

Answer 9

A large hole in the cliff caused by waves forcing their way into cracks in the cliff face.

Question 10

Chemical weathering

Answer 10

The breakdown of rock caused by a chemical change within that rock; seawater can cause chemical weathering of cliffs.

Question 11

Cliff

Answer 11

A steep high rock face formed by weathering and erosion along the coastline.

Question 12

Deposition

Answer 12

Occurs when material being transported by the sea is dropped due to the sea losing energy.

Question 13

Dune regeneration

Answer 13

Action taken to build up dunes and increase vegetation to strengthen the dunes and prevent excessive coastal retreat. This includes the re-planting of marram grass to stabilize the dunes, as well as planting trees and providing boardwalks.

Question 14

Erosion

Answer 14

The wearing away and removal of material by a moving force, such as a breaking wave.

Question 15

Gabion

Answer 15

Steel wire mesh filled with boulders used in coastal defences

Question 16

Groyne

Answer 16

A wooden barrier built out into the sea to stop the longshore drift of sand and shingle, and so
cause the beach to grow. It is used to build beaches to protect against cliff erosion and
provide an important tourist amenity. However, by trapping sediment it deprives another
area, down-drift, of new beach material.

Question 17

Hard engineering

Answer 17

The use of concrete and large artificial structures by civil engineers to defend land against natural erosion processes.

Question 18

Headlands and bays

Answer 18

A rocky coastal promontory made of rock that is resistant to erosion; headlands lie between
bays of less resistant rock where the land has been eroded back by the sea.

Question 19

Hydraulic power

Answer 19

The process by which breaking waves compress pockets of air in cracks in a cliff. The pressure may cause the crack to widen, breaking off rock.

Question 20

Longshore drift

Answer 20

The zigzag movement of sediment along a shore caused by waves going up the beach at an oblique angle (wash) and returning at right angles (backwash). This results in the gradual
movement of beach materials along the coast.

Question 21

Managed retreat

Answer 21

Allowing cliff erosion to occur as nature taking its course: erosion in some areas, deposition in others. Benefits include less money spent and the creation of natural environments. It may involve setting back or realigning the shoreline and allowing the sea to flood areas that were previously protected by embankments and seawalls.

Question 22

Mass movement

Answer 22

The downhill movement of weathered material under the force of gravity. The speed can vary
considerably

Question 23

Mechanical weathering

Answer 23

Weathering processes that cause physical disintegration or break up of exposed rock without any change in the chemical composition of the rock, for instance freeze thaw.

Question 24

Rock armour

Answer 24

Large boulders dumped on the beach as part of the coastal defences.

Question 25

Sand dune

Answer 25

Coastal sand hill above the high tide mark, shaped by wind action, covered with grasses and shrubs.

Question 26

Sea wall

Answer 26

A concrete wall which aims to prevent erosion of the coast by providing a barrier which reflects wave energy.

Question 27

Sliding

Answer 27

Occurs after periods of heavy rain when loose surface material becomes saturated and the extra weight causes the material to become unstable and move rapidly downhill, sometimes in an almost fluid state.

Question 28

Slumping

Answer 28

Rapid mass movement which involves a whole segment of the cliff moving down-slope along a saturated shear-plane or line of weakness.

Question 29

Soft engineering

Answer 29

Managing erosion by working with natural processes to help restore beaches and coastal ecosystems.

Question 30

Spit

Answer 30

A depositional landform formed when a finger of sediment extends from the shore out to sea, often at a river mouth. It usually has a curved end because of opposing winds and currents.

Question 31

Stack

Answer 31

An isolated pillar of rock left when the top of an arch has collapsed. Over time further erosion reduces the stack to a smaller, lower stump.

Question 32

Transportation

Answer 32

The movement of eroded material.

Question 33

Wave cut platform

Answer 33

A rocky, level shelf at or around sea level representing the base of old, retreated cliffs

Question 34

Waves

Answer 34

Ripples in the sea caused by the transfer of energy from the wind blowing over the surface of the sea. The largest waves are formed when winds are very strong, blow for lengthy periods and cross large expanses of water.

Question 35

Abrasion

Answer 35

Rocks carried along by the river wear down the river bed and banks.

Question 36

Attrition

Answer 36

Rocks being carried by the river smash together and break into smaller, smoother and rounder particles

Question 37

Cross profile

Answer 37

The side to side cross-section of a river channel and/or valley

Question 38

Dam and reservoir

Answer 38

A barrier built across a valley to interrupt river flow and create a reservoir which stores water and controls the discharge of the river.

Question 39

Discharge

Answer 39

The quantity of water that passes a given point on a stream or riverbank within a given period of time.

Question 40

Embankments

Answer 40

Raised banks constructed along the river; they effectively make the river deeper so it can hold more water. They are expensive and do not look natural but they do protect the land around them.

Question 41

Estuary

Answer 41

The tidal mouth of a river where it meets the sea; wide banks of deposited mud are exposed at low tide.

Question 42

Flood

Answer 42

Occurs when river discharge exceeds river channel capacity and water spills out of the channel onto the floodplain and other areas.

Question 43

Flood plain

Answer 43

The relatively flat area forming the valley floor on either side of a river channel, which is sometimes flooded.

Question 44

Flood plain zoning

Answer 44

This attempts to organise the flood defences in such a way that land that is near the river and often floods is not built on. This could be used for pastoral farming, playing fields etc. The areas that rarely get flooded would therefore be used for houses, transport and industry.

Question 45

Flood relief channels

Answer 45

Building new artificial channels which are used when a river is close to maximum discharge. They take the pressure off the main channels when floods are likely, therefore reducing flood risk.

Question 46

Flood risk

Answer 46

The predicted frequency of floods in an area

Question 47

Flood warning

Answer 47

Providing reliable advance information about possible flooding. Flood warning systems give people time to remove possessions and evacuate areas.

Question 48

Fluvial processes

Answer 48

Processes relating to erosion, transport and deposition by a river.

Question 49

Gorge

Answer 49

A narrow, steep sided valley, often formed as a waterfall retreats upstream.

Question 50

Hard engineering

Answer 50

Involves the building of entirely artificial structures using various materials such as rock, concrete and steel to reduce, disrupt or stop the impact of river processes.

Question 51

Hydraulic action

Answer 51

The force of the river against the banks can cause air to be trapped in cracks and crevices. The pressure weakens the banks and gradually wears it away.

Question 52

Hydrograph

Answer 52

A graph which shows the discharge of a river, related to rainfall, over a period of time.

Question 53

Interlocking spurs

Answer 53

A series of ridges projecting out on alternate sides of a valley and around which a river winds its course

Question 54

Lateral erosion

Answer 54

Sideways erosion by a river on the outside of a meander channel. It eventually leads to the widening of the valley and contributes to the formation of the flood plain.

Question 55

Levees

Answer 55

Embankment of sediment along the bank of a river. It may be formed naturally by regular flooding or be built up by people to protect the area against flooding

Question 56

Long profile

Answer 56

The gradient of a river, from its source to its mouth.

Question 57

Meander

Answer 57

A pronounced bend in a river.

Question 58

Ox-bow lake

Answer 58

An arc-shaped lake which has been cut off from a meandering river.

Question 59

Precipitation

Answer 59

Moisture falling from the atmosphere

Question 60

Saltation

Answer 60

Particles bouncing down the river bed.

Question 61

Soft engineering

Answer 61

Involves the use of the natural environment surrounding a river, using schemes that work with the river's natural processes. Soft engineering is usually much cheaper and offers a more sustainable option as it does not interfere directly with the river’s flow.

Question 62

Solution

Answer 62

Soluble particles are dissolved into the river.

Question 63

(Channel) straightening

Answer 63

Removing meanders from a river to make the river straighter. Straightening the river allows it to carry more water quickly downstream, so it doesn’t build up and is less likely to flood.

Question 64

Suspension

Answer 64

Fine solid material held in the water while the water is moving

Question 65

Traction

Answer 65

The rolling of boulders and pebbles along the river bed.

Question 66

Vertical erosion

Answer 66

Downward erosion of a river bed.

Question 67

Waterfall

Answer 67

Sudden descent of a river or stream over a vertical or very steep slope in its bed. It often forms where the river meets a band of softer rock after flowing over an area of more resistant material.