Coastal Landscapes and Processes

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to coastal landscapes, their classifications, processes of change, and management implications.

Coasts: spatial context

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Coasts: temporal context

 

1 - coast classification based on…

sea level - after Jonson 1919

Submerged coastlines

• Masselink and Hughs, 2003

  
  

Emerged coastlines

• Masselink and Hughes, 2003

2 - Coast classification based on…

dominant processes - after Shepard 1963

 

Masselink and Hughs, 2003

3 - Coast classification based on..

• Masselink and Hughs, 2003

  

 

 

Wave climate

• Hugget, 2003

Beach types

Dictated by wave regime (Huggett, 2011)

Dissipative Beach

A beach with a wide swash zone, spilling waves, a very gentle slope, and fine sediment. (Masselink and Hughs, 2003)

e.g. Perranporth, north Cornwall

Reflective Beach

A beach characterized by a narrow swash zone, plunging waves, a steeper beach face, and mixed sand/gravel sediment. (Masselink and Hughs, 2003)

e.g. Porthleven,, south Cornwall

Beach sediment budgets

Coastal processes

Erosion Rate

The rate at which coastal landforms are worn away by natural processes such as wave action. (Huggett, 2011_

Episodic wave erosion

• Masselink and Hughs, 2003

  

episodic wave - large unexpected wave - larger than average waves

Aggradational Process

A process that involves the transport and deposition of sediment. (Huggett, 2011)

Degradational Process

A process that involves the removal and transportation of material away from a coastal area. (Huggett, 2011)

Weathering an biogenic processes

• Coombes, 2014

  

Bioerosion

The erosion of rock and sediment caused by the activities of living organisms. (Coombes, 2014)

Fetch

The distance over water that wind blows, affecting wave energy. (Huggett, 2011)

Isostasy

The state of gravitational equilibrium between Earth's crust and mantle, affecting coastal elevation. (Masselink and Hughs, 2003)

Marine Terrace

A flat or gently sloping platform of rock that has been eroded by wave activity. (Masselink and Hughs, 2003)

Rocky cliffs and platforms

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Rocky shore platforms

Huggett, 2011 

 

 

Case study: Rocky shore platforms

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Tectonic drivers of rock coast change

Link to climate change