past paper questions n answers

Question 1

Explain the concept of the sediment cell (4).

Answer 1

1) A Sediment cell is usually a closed system bounded by headlands or a change in long shore drift.
2) Within the sediment cell there is erosion, transportation and deposition of sediment within a long term cycle.
3)There is little to no movement of sediments between the cells
4)Human management can such as groynes can push the maximum erosion point and interfere the natural system within the sediment cell.

Question 2

Outline the role of wind affecting coastal energy (4)

Answer 2

1) Wind Is responsible for generating waves as friction occurs at the surface of water
2)Stronger winds that travel for long distances create more powerful waves.
3)Wind also affects currents in terms of the direction that wind is blowing
in
4)This directly affects how longshore drift happens, depending on the angle at which waves hit the coast.”

Question 3

Which process / activity can lead to isostatic sea level change?(1)

Answer 3

D) The melting of ice sheets on land areas

Explanation:
During the ice age the heavy glaciers push the land down.When glaciers melt the pressure and weight is released and takes the land rise back up slowly which causes isostatic rebound, this causes local sea level to fall.

Question 4

What is meant by solifluction? (1)

Answer 4

Downslope movement of saturated soils related to the
thawing of the active layer.

Question 5

Which sentence best describes a ‘low energy coast’?(1)

Answer 5

A coastline where the rate of deposition often exceeds the
rate of erosion of sediment and wave energy is relatively
low.

Question 6

Outline characteristics of constructive waves. (3)

Answer 6

1) Constructive waves have stronger swash then backwash
2) Constructive waves have a longer wave period
3)Constructive waves have a longer wave length
4)Constructive waves have a low amplitude ( vertical height)

Question 7

Which process can lead to eustatic sea level change? (1)

Answer 7

c)Thermal expansion in the major water bodies.

Question 8

What is wave quarrying?(1)

Answer 8

Air is trapped and compressed between a breaking wave
and a cliff. The increase in pressure over a period of time
causes rock fragments to break off.

Question 9

Outline the process of sub-aerial weathering in the development of coastal landscapes.(4)

Answer 9

Sub Aerial weathering is when rainwater and insolation causes the break down of rocks in a coastal landscape.One example is chemical weathering when the weak carbonic acid breaks down weak rocks such as limestone. Another example is biological weathering when strong roots grow and break the surrounding rocks or animals burrowing underground breaking rocks. Finally another type of weathering is mechanical weathering, such as salt water getting inside rocks and crystallising. Overtime the crystal expands and exerts pressure causing the rock to break.

Question 10

Outline the process of coastal hydraulic action. (3)

Answer 10

1)Hydraulic action is erosion due to the sheer force of water alone and nothing else.
2)For example high energy waves hit the rocks and exert high amounts of pressure on the rocks due to the force of the water
3) Hydraulic action can also be called wave pounding.

Question 11

In systems in physical geography, which of the following correctly defines negative feedback? (1)

Answer 11

B)Changes in a system decrease, or slow down, the
impacts of an initial action.

Question 12

Outline the role of waves in the transportation of sediments at the coast. (4)

Answer 12

1)Constructive waves have a high swash and low backwash meaning they deposit more sediments onto the coast or beach.
2) Whereas Destructive waves have a low swash and high backwash meaning it takes sediments away from the coast and the sediments is sometimes deposited as an offshore bar.
3)Longshore drift is the movement of sediments along a coastline. The swash moves at an angle to the coast and the back wash takes sediment perpendicular to the coastline.