2.1 The Littoral Zone

What is the littoral zone?

The wider coastal zone including adjacent land areas and shallow parts of the sea just off the shoreline​

What does the littoral zone contain?

Coastal sediments such as pebbles and sand particles

How is sediment moved in the littoral zone?

Waves, currents and tides move these sediments around in a zone which extends from the highest sea level line to shallow, offshore waters

What are the five subdivisions of the littoral zone?

Coast, backshore, foreshore, nearshore and offshore zones

In which zones are the largest levels of human activity and physical processes?

Foreshore and backshore zones

What is the hydrologic cycle?

The way in which water enters the coastal system

What are the two types of coastline in terms of physical landscape?

Rocky coastlines and coastal plains

What are rocky coastlines?

Coastlines with cliffs of varying heights up to 100 metres, formed from rock with varying hardness

What are coastal plains/alluvial coasts?

Coasts with land that gradually slopes towards the sea across an area of deposited sediment such as sand dunes or mudflats

What are the different types of inputs to the coast?

Marine, atmospheric and human

What are some examples of marine inputs?

Waves, tides and salt spray

What are some examples of atmospheric inputs?

Sun, precipitation, air pressure and wind speed/direction

What are some examples of human inputs?

Pollution, recreation, settlement and defenses

What processes occur at the coast?

Erosion, transportation, deposition, weathering and mass movement

What are the outputs of coastal processes?

Coastal landforms and landscapes

What is an emergent coast?

Parts of the littoral zone where falls in sea level expose land once part of the seabed

What is a submergent coast?

Parts of the littoral zone where rises in sea level cover up areas of the coast

How is sediment supply created?

Weathering and erosion produce an output in the form of sediment?

How are rocky coasts formed?

Result from resistant geology often in a high-energy environment

How much of the UK's coastline do rocky coasts occupy?

About 1,000 km

Where are rocky cliffs generally found?

In the north and west

What process is dominant at rocky coastlines?

Erosion

Why is erosion the dominant process at rocky coastlines?

Wave action is often powerful along rocky coasts & this concentrated wave energy acts to erode rock

What landforms are formed at rocky coastlines?

Headlands, stacks, sea caves and wave-cut notches

How are coastal plains formed?

They are formed in low energy environments where there is coastal accretion due to dominant deposition

What is coastal accretion?

A continuous net deposit of sediment

What is the dominant process at coastal plains?

Deposition

What are the two types of coastal plains?

Sandy coastlines and estuarine coastlines

What landforms are formed at coastal plains?

Beaches, spits, tombolos, barrier islands/lagoons and cuspate forelands

What types of ecosystems can be found in coastal plains?

Wetlands, marshes, dunes and mudflats

How does geology influence rate of erosion?

The resistance of the rock determines differential rates of erosion which leads to coastal landscape formation

What is the Tees-Exe line?

A line that divides the country in highland and lowland regions, according to geology

What is the geology like south and east of the Tees-Exe line?

The landscape is lower, flatter and characterised by flat-lying/gently tilted sedimentary rocks

What is the geology like north and west of the Tees-Exe line?

The rocks are generally older, harder and igneous/metamorphic

What is an example of a high relief rocky coast?

Isle of Hirta, Outer Hebrides

What is an example of a low relief rocky coast?

Chapel Porth, Cornwall

What is an example of a coastal plain formed by eustatic sea level change?

Atlantic coastline of the USA