1. How can coastal landscapes be viewed as systems?

incl. components of coastal landscapes (inputs, processes, outputs), flows of energy and materials, and sediment cells

What is a system?

A set of interrelated elements working together towards a process

What kind of system is this: where energy and matter can be transferred into the system from the surrounding environment, through it, and across the boundary back into the surrounding environment

open

What is a system made up of?

inputs, components, outputs

What are inputs, components, and outputs driven by?

processes

Inputs: energy from…

waves, wind, tides, currents, sediment

Components are…

created in the system by processes

What are some examples of erosional landforms and landscapes components?

headlands, bays, wave-cut platforms, stacks and stumps

What are some examples of depositional landforms and landscapes components?

beaches, spits, bars, tombolos

What are two examples of outputs from a system?

dissipation of wave energy, accumulation of sediment above the tidal limit

What is required between inputs and outputs when a system in in dynamic equilibrium?

balance

By what process does the system adjust to change and regain equilibrium?

feedback

In which type of feedback are the effects of an action amplified by secondary effects?

positive

Give one example of a positive feedback loop.

global warming melts the ice sheets, releases more CO2, more global warming, more ice melting

In which type of feedback are the effects of an action nullified by secondary effects?

negative

What is the process of negative feedback?

self-regulation which restores equilibrium

What types of energy do waves possess?

potential and kinetic

Why do waves possess potential energy?

due to its position above the wave trough

Why do waves possess kinetic energy?

caused by the motion of water in the war

What do constructive waves do?

build sediment on the beach

What do destructive waves do?

removes sediment from the beach

What type of process is wind?

aeolian

What is wave energy generated by?

the drag of wind moving across the ocean surface

Does a higher wind speed mean a longer or shorter fetch?

longer

What does a longer fetch result in?

larger waves which possess more energy

What does wind that does not blow onto the beach at 90 degrees create?

longshore drift

What tide is created when the moon pulls water towards itself?

high

Give one example of an enclosed sea

mediterranean

Do enclosed seas have high or low tidal range and why?

low because of restricted wave action

Give one example of a funnelled coast.

Severn Estuary

Do funnelled coasts have high or low tidal range and why?

high because of high wave action

What narrow strait does the mediterranean sea have to pass through?

Gibraltar

What are the two types of currents?

nearshore and offshore

What type of currents are caused by tidal motion or waves breaking at 90 degrees to the shore?

rip

What helps perpetuate the rip current?

cusps

What are ocean currents generated by?

Earth’s rotation and convection, set in motion by wind over water surface

Where do warm water currents transfer heat energy to and from?

to the poles from the low latitudes

What areas do warm water currents effect?

western facing coastal areas

Where do cold water currents transfer cold water to and from?

to the equator from the poles

What are cold water currents driven by and what effect does this have?

offshore winds so less effect on coast

What are rivers a major source of?

sediment input to the coastal sediment budget

When does sediment delivery from rivers to the shoreline mostly occur?

during floods

How much of coastal sediment comes from rivers (%)? (as much as)

90%

How much does the erosion of weak cliffs in high energy wave environments contribute to material supplied to beaches(%)? (as much as)

70%

Where do constructive waves bring sediment from and to?

from offshore locations to the shore

What does the movement of sediment from offshore to the shore by constructive waves do?

add to the sediment budget

Waves, tides, wind, and current all…

add to the sediment budget

What is beach nourishment?

way that sediment equilibrium can be maintained

When is beach nourishment used?

when costal sediment budget is in deficit

What are the two things put on the beach in beach nourishment?

sediment, sand and water

How do you calculate if the sediment budget is in surplus, deficit or equilibrium?

subtract amount of sediment lost from amount of sediment gained

What are sediment cells also known as?

Littoral cells

What are sediment cells?

distinct areas of coastline where sediment in sourced, transported and deposited

What type of system are sediment cells regarded as?

closed

What do sediment cell boundaries do?

prevent significant amounts of sediment being transferred into neighbouring cells

What are some examples of sediment cell boundaries?

headlands, estuaries, groynes, breakwaters

The places from which sediment enters the coastal system are known as..

sources

What are the important sediment inputs in a sediment cell?

rivers, cliff erosion, offshore deposits

Processes that move sediment around the coastal system are called…

transfers

What are the transfers in a sediment cell?

longshore drift, tidal current,

What influences the direction and rate at which sediment moves along the coastline?

prevailing wind and wave conditions

What are locations where sediment is deposited and stores known as?

sinks

What are some examples of sinks?

beaches, dunes, offshore bars

What patterns can changes in sediment supply affect?

erosion and deposition

Does sediment starvation increase or decrease rates of erosion elsewhere?

increase

What coast is an example of a sediment cell?

Holderness

What are the three main factors that influence coastal processes?

wind, waves, geology

What sub-factors determine how wind affects coastal processes?

prevailing, direction, speed

What sub-factors determine how waves affects coastal processes?

fetch, type, size

What sub-factors determine how geology affects coastal processes?

rock type, formation

What are waves NOT?

a transfer of water itself

What are waves?

the transfer of energy through the water

What is the crest of a wave?

the highest point of a wave

What is the trough of a wave?

the lowest point of a waveWhat is the of a wave?

What is the wavelength of a wave?

the average distance between successive wave crests

What is the wave height of a wave?

the vertical distance between a wave trough and crest

What is the wave velocity of a wave?

the speed at which the wave travels

What is the wave steepness of a wave?

the ratio of wave height to wave length

What is the wave period of a wave?

the average time between successive waves

What is the wave power of a wave?

wave energy x wave velocity

What is the wave energy of a wave?

the square of wave height

What is the wave frequency of a wave?

the average number of waves per minute

What is the swash time of a wave?

the time between a wave breaking and the swash reaching its highest point on the beach