Geography unit B

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44 Terms

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el nino
The trade winds decrease, air pressure patterns in the South Pacific are reversed, flow of water away from South America decreases and warmer temperature.
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Surface currents
are caused by the influence of prevailing winds blowing steadily across the sea
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Upwelling currents


where the ocean currents move cold water, rich in nutrients, from the ocean floor to the surface

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Hurricanes
Low-pressure systems that bring heavy rainfall, strong winds, and high waves and cause other hazards such as floods and mudslides
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3 conditions for hurricane
**warm water, damp air,** **winds that meet**
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Geological structure
the disposition and nature of the materials on the coast
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Processes affecting coastline
erosion & deposition
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Sea level changes
interact with erosional or depositional processes to produce advancing or retreating coastlines
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Waves
the movement of water molecules within the ocean, and are restricted to the surface layers of our oceans and seas
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Why do waves break?
a critical point is reached where the top of the wave (the CREST) curves over and creates a breaking wave
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swash
The movement of water and sediment up a beach, determined by the prevailing wind
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backwash
The movement of water back down the beach, determined by the slope of the beach
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longshore drift
moves sediment in one general direction along the coastline in a zig-zag fashion, governed by the prevailing wind and interaction between swash and backwash
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Constructive waves
swash is stronger than bakwash
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Destructive waves
backwash stronger than swash
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Spilling breakers
Break slowly as they approach the shore, and wave energy is spread over a large area of the beach.
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plunging breaker

Breaks quickly with substantial force and wave energy is concentrated over a small area of the beach.

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Surging breakers

Rush up a very steep beach without dissipating much energy in the beach layer known as swash.

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What causes headlands and bays
Differentiated rates of erosion due to different levels of resistance in the geology
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How are beached formed
Beaches form in sheltered environments, such as bays. When the swash is stronger than the backwash, deposition occurs.
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Spits
A spit is a landform of coastal deposition, an extended stretch of beach material that sticks out to sea and is joined to the mainland at one end. Caused by longshore drift.
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The formation of a spit
Longshore drift transports material along the coast, and spit forms when material is deposited due to reduced energy when the sea meets a river.
Longshore drift transports material along the coast, and spit forms when material is deposited due to reduced energy when the sea meets a river.
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tombolo

spit joining the mainland to an island

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Sand dunes formation

Sand dunes are small ridges or hills of sand found at the top of a beach, above the reach of the waves, sand is deposited by the wind around an object such as a rock, forming embryo dunes

<p>Sand dunes are small ridges or hills of sand found at the top of a beach, above the reach of the waves, sand is deposited by the wind around an object such as a rock, forming embryo dunes</p>
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la nina
The trade winds increase, increasing upwelling off South America, lower-than-normal sea surface temperatures
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oceanic conveyor belt

a constantly moving system of deep ocean circulation driven by temperature.

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Upwelling

deep cold nutrient water rising on the surface

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Thermohaline circulation

the conveyor belt- transfer of energy by deep sea currents, cold water sink and moves towards the equator

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thermocline

layer between surface warm water and deep cold water.

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halocline

change in water salinity levels as the depth change

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EEZ

exclusive economic zones- prescribed by UN that a state has speacial rights regarding exploration and use of marine resources

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Subaerial weathering

weathering of caves and large sedinments caused due to waves.

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isostatic

local sea level change- the height of the land rises or falls depending on pressure out on by ice.

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fetch

the stretch of ocean water over which wind was blown

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coral reefs

underwater ecosystem characterised by reef building corals

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Mangroves

shrub that grow in costal saline water

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concordant coast

ocean infiltration and erosion of soft material

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discordant coast

when the bands of different rock types run perpendicular to the coast

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gabion

wire meshcages filled with pebbles

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groyne

wooden barriers constructed at right angles

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revetments

traditionally been wooden slatted barriers constructed towards the rear of beaches to protect the base of cliffs

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sea walls

built in front of cliffs to protect against waves

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downwelling

occurs when surface water becomes more dense and sinks to the bottom

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onceanic carbon cycle

photosynthesis, turns carbon dioxide into organic material, this carbon sinks to the bottom causing upper part to have low carbon concentration.