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geography > physical landscapes exam > Flashcards

physical landscapes exam Flashcards

(55 cards)

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1
Q

what is a headland

A

area of land that sticks out to sea

erosional landforms are usually found here

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2
Q

why do headlands form

A

geology influences the formation of headlands and bays

differential erosion causes some rocks to be eroded faster than other

geological processes such as faulting (fracture in rock where there has been movement and displacement) and folding (process through which crustal rocks are bent) are also important

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3
Q

how do headlands and bays form

A

form on a discordant coast, destructive waves erode the coast through abrasion

differential erosion occurs, soft rock erodes faster creating bays

hard rock erodes slower and remains jutting out creating headlands

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4
Q

meander

A

natural bend in the river

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5
Q

lateral

A

sideways (erosion)

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6
Q

thalweg

A

line of fastest flow in the river

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7
Q

pools

A

deeper areas of the river bed - usually on the outside of a meander

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8
Q

riffles

A

shallow areas in the river often found between bends

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9
Q

river cliff

A

steep outside part of a river

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10
Q

slip off slope/point bar

A

shallow area inside river bend sometimes called river beach

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11
Q

sediment

A

material deposited by river

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12
Q

alluvium (silt)

A

sediment that makes up the flood plain - v fertile so good for farming

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13
Q

migrate

A

movement (of meanders)

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14
Q

bluff

A

edge of the flood plain where the slope of the valley begins

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15
Q

transitional zone

A

part of river affected by both coastal and river processes

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16
Q

mudflats

A

fine sediments left behind in estuary at low tide

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17
Q

saltmarshes

A

vegetated mudflats that develop over time

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18
Q

what are estuaries

A

the transitional zone where the river meets the sea

they are tidal so have 2 periods each day when water level is raised

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19
Q

what are estuaries like

A

have large mudflats that are exposed at low tide

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20
Q

how are meanders formed

A

in the LC, the river is mainly eroding laterally

the natural spiralling motion of water along with the thalweg makes the river adopt a winding shape

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21
Q

what are oxbow lakes

A

horseshoe shaped lakes formed when a meander gets cut off

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22
Q

what are flood plains

A

areas either side of a meander where a river floods

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23
Q

how are flood plains formed

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A

over a period of time with many floods that deposit fine alluvium/silt as the river loses its energy

24
Q

what is a levee

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A

natural embankment made up of larger sediments deposited closer to the river channel during floods

25
physical factors causing flooding
precipitation, geology (rock type), steep slopes
26
human factors causing flooding
urbanisation, deforestation, agriculture
27
how do physical factors cause flooding
P - torrential rainstorms or prolonged periods of rain can lead to flooding. G - impermeable rocks don't allow water to pass through, so it flows overland into river channels. S - means water flows quickly into river channels.
28
How do human factors (land use) cause flooding
U - impermeable surfaces (tarmac roads) mean water flows quickly into drains, sewers and river channels. D - when trees are removed, water which had been evaporated from leaves or stored on leaves and branches flows rapidly into river channels A - exposed soil can lead to increased surface runoff (especially if ploughing occurs up and down slopes).
29
hard engineering defintion
uses artificial structures to control natural processes
30
soft engineering definition
involves methods that work with natural processes
31
hard engineering for coasts
sea walls, groynes, rock armour, gabions
32
sea walls details
HE, concrete or rock barrier at the foot of cliffs or top of beach. Curved to reflect waves out to sea £5000-£10k per metre effective at stopping the sea, often creates a walkway can look obtrusive and unnatural, very expensive; high maintenance costs
33
groynes details
HE - rock or timber structures built at right angles to beach. Trap sediment moved by longshore drift and enlarge the beach. Wider beach reduces wave damage. Timber groynes £150000 each (every 200m) creates a wider beach - good for tourism, not too expensive interrupting longshore drift can lead to increased erosion elsewhere, unnatural and rock groynes are unattractive
34
rock armour details
HE - piles of large boulders at foot of cliff. Rocks absorb wave energy to protect the cliff £200000 per 100m relatively cheap; easy to maintain, can add interest to the coast rocks are often from elsewhere so don't fit with local geology, expensive to transport rocks, can be obtrusive
35
gabions details
HE - rock-filled wire cages that support a cliff and provide a buffer against the sea up to £50000 per 100m cheap to produce, can improve cliff drainage, eventually become vegetated and merge into landscape unattractive initially, cages rust within 5-10 years
36
soft engineering for coasts
beach nourishment, dune regeneration, dune fencing
37
beach nourishment details
SE - sand or shingle is dredged offshore and transported to the coast by barge. It's dumped on the beach and shaped by bulldozers creating a wider, higher beach. Beach protects land and property. up to £500000 per 100m blends in with existing beach, bigger beach increases tourist potential needs constant maintenance, expensive
38
dune regeneration details
SE - marram grass is planted to stabilise dunes and help them develop, which makes them effective buffers to the sea. Fences keep people off newly planted areas £200-£2000 per 100m maintains a natural environment - good for wildlife, relatively cheap time-consuming to plant grass and construct fencing, can be damaged by storms
39
dune fencing details
SE - fences are constructed along the seaward side of existing dunes to encourage new dune formation, new dunes help to protect existing dunes £400-£2000 per 100m little impact on natural systems, controlling access protects other ecosystems can be unsightly, needs regular maintenance
40
constructive waves details
- strong swash, weak backwash - low wave height, large wavelength - low frequency - depositional - leave material on the beach which builds up over time formed by storms often hundreds of kilometres away, common in summer
41
destructive waves details
- strong backwash, weak swash - high wave height, small wavelength - high frequency - erosional - erode the beach and any rocks and take the material away to other locations. Beach wears away over time. formed by local storms close to the coast, common in winter
42
coastlines hit by constructive waves tend to have
depositional landforms such as sandy beaches as less powerful and deposit material
43
coastlines hit by destructive waves tend to have
erosional landforms such as rocky headlands and tall cliffs and caves as waves tend to have a long fetch and so are the most powerful waves
44
erosion definition
removal and destruction of rocks and sand along the coastline
45
longshore drift definition
sediment is transported along the coast through this
46
solution definition
chemicals are dissolved into the seawater
47
suspension definition
particles and small rocks are light enough to float within the waves
48
traction definition
large rocks are rolled along the seabed
49
saltation definition
pebbles and small rocks that are too heavy to be suspended along the seabed
50
type of land at Medmerry, Chichester
flat, low-lying land in southern England, mainly used for farming and caravan parks. Has been protected by a low sea wall previously
51
value of land Medmerry
relatively low, so the sea was allowed to breach the sea wall in 2013 and flood some farmland
52
what has been built Medmerry
embankments inland to protect farmland, roads and settlement alteration of the coastline like this is called coastal realignment
53
wave refraction
what happens to waves when they approach an uneven coastline as waves approach an uneven coastline, reach headlands first, focusing a lot of energy on those forelands and bends the waves into the bays where the energy expended is less
54
advantages of Medmerry, Chichester
- creates a natural saltmarsh (natural buffer to the sea) - protects surrounding farmland from flooding - establishes wildlife habitat + visitors encouraged
55
disadvantages of Medmerry, Chichester
- loss of farmland - initial cost £28 million - takes a long time, time consuming

geography (2 decks)

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