The Coastal Zone

Question 1

Littoral Zone

Answer 1

The wider coastal zone including adjacent areas and shallow parts of the sea just offshore

Question 2

When is the back shore affected by waves?

Answer 2

During exceptionally high tides or major storms

Question 3

What is mainly confined to the foreshore?

Answer 3

Wave processes

Question 4

What happens in the nearshore?

Answer 4

Intense human activity and forms part of the physical system, transfers sediments by currents close to the shore

Question 5

What are the 2 main types of coast?

Answer 5

Rocky and Coastal Plains

Question 6

Rocky Coastline

Answer 6

Have cliffs varying in height, formed from rock of varying hardness

Question 7

Coast Plains

Answer 7

Land gradually slopes towards the sea, across an area of deposited sediment. Sand dunes and mud flats main examples.

Question 8

Features of a cliffed coast

Answer 8

Transition from land to sea is abrupt, low tide reveals a rocky, wave cut platform foreshore.

Question 9

Features of a sandy coastline

Answer 9

At high tide, sandy beach inundated, vegetated dunes are not. Vegetation on dunes stabilises coasts and prevents erosion.

Question 10

Features of Estuarine coastlines

Answer 10

Mud flats, exposed at high tides, back shore vegetated and forms a salt marsh, gradual transition from land to sea.

Question 11

What classifies as a primary coast?

Answer 11

Coasts dominated by land based processes like deposition at the coast or new coastal land formed from lava flows

Question 12

What classifies as a secondary coast?

Answer 12

Coasts dominated by marine erosion or deposition processes

Question 13

Emergent Coasts Features

Answer 13

Coasts rising relative to sea level, for example by tectonic uplift.

Question 14

Submergent Coast features

Answer 14

Coasts flooded by the sea caused by rising sea levels.

Question 15

How can coast classification vary due to tidal range?

Answer 15

Microtidal coasts - 0-2m
Mesotidal coasts - 2-4m
Macrotidal coasts - >4m

Question 16

High Energy Coastlines features

Answer 16

Exposed coasts, facing prevailing winds, long wave fetches, powerful waves. More erosion than deposition, Headlands, Bays, wave cut platforms.

Question 17

Low energy Coastline Features

Answer 17

Sheltered coasts with limited fetch, more depositon than erosion, beaches, spits, low wind speeds, small waves.

Question 18

Cliff profile

Answer 18

The height and angle of a cliff, as well as its features, such as wave cut notches or changes in slope angle.

Question 19

Marine erosion dominated cliff features

Answer 19

Steep angle cliff face, limited debris at its base as this is quickly eroded and moved away by waves and wave erosion, active undercutting

Question 20

Sub aerial process dominated cliff features

Answer 20

curved slope profile, accumulated debris due to lack of erosion

Question 21

Sub aerial processes

Answer 21

Processes acting on cliffs other than wave erosion. Likely to be more important when cliffs are made of less resistant rocks such as shale, clay or mud stone

Question 22

Mass movement

Answer 22

Sub aerial process, includes landslides, slumps, rock fall, move material down slope under the influence of gravity

Question 23

Weathering

Answer 23

Sub aerial process, chemical, biological, mechanical weathering. Breakdown of rock into smaller fragments

Question 24

Surface runoff

Answer 24

Sub aerial process, Water, usually during heavy rain, flowing down the cliff face and causing erosion of it

Question 25

How are coastal plains formed?

Answer 25

As a result of a fall in sea level, where the sea bed of what was once a continental shelf sea is exposed. Or can form from deposition of sediment from land, which can cause coastal accretion where the coastline gradually moves seaward.

Question 26

Coastal Accretion

Answer 26

The deposition of sediment at the coast and the seaward growth of the coastline, creating new land. Involves sediment deposition being stabilised by vegetation.

Question 27

Dynamic Equilibrium

Answer 27

The balanced state of a system where inputs and outputs balance over time. By a process of feedback, the system adjusts to change and the equilibrium is regained.