How can coasts be classified?
what are the long-term criteria for categorising coasts?
what are the short-term criteria for categorising coasts?
explain the structure of the littoral zone including some features
coast backshore (storm beach) foreshore (pebbles + berms) nearshore (runnels and ridges) offshore
what is the littoral zone?
the boundary between land and seas and is the area of shoreline where land is subject to wave action. it is subdivided into: back shore, foreshore, nearshore and offshore
why does the littoral zone vary?
due to short-term factors and long-term factors
what are the short-term factors affecting the littoral zone
individual waves, daily tides, seasonal storms
what are the long-terms factors affecting the littoral zone
changes to sea levels, climate change
what areas of the littoral experience the most human activity?
the back shore and foreshore experience the most human activity
what is the overall word to describe the state of the littoral zone?
DYNAMIC. because of the dynamic interaction between the processes operating in the seas, oceans and on land.
what is the coastal system
inputs into process and then to outputs
what are inputs in a coastal system
what are processes in a coastal system
what are outputs in a coastal system
explain Cornwall’s geology
Cornwall bears the worst of the weather from the Atlantic ocean but due to is geology, its rocky coastline can withstand frequent storms. much of Cornwall consists of: - igneous rock (such as basalt and granite) - older compacted sedimentary rocks (sandstone) - metamorphic rocks (slates)
explain what rocky coastlines are like
explain what coastal plains are like
what is the word for a supply of sediment?
coastal accretion
what are terrestrial sources of sediment?
from mass movement or rivers
what are offshore sources of sediment?
from waves or currents
what is the difference between rocky or cliffed coastlines vs coastal plain landscapes?
rocky or cliffed coastlines: when there is a clear distinction between land and sea, mainly because of the height of the cliffs. mainly in the north west , occupy 1000km of the UK’s coastline coastal plain landscapes: where the land slopes gently towards the sea and there is an almost imperceptible transition form one to the other. these are often maintained in a state of dynamic equilibrium from the sediment coming in and out. the wash is the largest estuary system in the UK, mainly in the east and south fo England.
are coastlines always either high or low energy?
no. many coastlines are a mixture of big and low energy environments. for examples, areas such as holderness which hare predominantly low energy can experience short-term high energy erosion through winter storms.
explain dynamic equilibrium
where erosion = deposition. there is a continuous flow of energy and material through the coasts but the size of stores (beach, salt marsh) remains unchanged
what is geological structure?
refers to how the rock is arranged on a macro-scale and looks at the arrangement of different rock types in relation to each other. It looks at the rock strata, deformation and presence of faulting.It looks at the rock strata, deformation and presence of faulting.