Geography A Level Paper 1

Coastal Landscapes and Carbon and Water Cycles

Natural Sources of Carbon (ABPHL)

Atmosphere - co2 in atmosphere and methane

Biosphere - living organism store carbon in tissues e.g plants and animals

pedosphere - organic matter and decomposing matter release carbon into soils

hydrosphere - co2 disolves in water, marine life stores carbon in shells and skeletons

litosphere - largest store of carbon in rocks, fossils limestone and chalk

Human Influences of Carbon (FDLC)

Fossil Fuels - combustion of coal and gas releases co2

Deforestation - trees are carbon sinks co2 in atmosphere increases when they are destroyed

land use change - agriculture areas turn into urbanised areas disturbing the soils

cement production - limestone releases co2

Low Energy Coastal Environment - Rhone Delta

• between 2 major distributaries

• waves mainly from south west, waves can be up to 1M in height

• caused spits and onshore bars with lagoons forming behind them

• 2.8 meters of retreat in recent years due to sea level rise

• 15 million euros spent on coastal protection in order to restore equilibrium

• since 2000 river carries only 1.5 million tonnes of sediment per year due to management strategies

• in 1900 17 million tonnes of sediment was deposited

High Energy Coastline - Saltburn to Flamborough

• compromised of soft and hard rock effecting erosion rates (wave energy effects these as well)

• dominant waves for the north/north east, areas facing north experience highest wave energy and erosion

• weak rock 0.8 meters of erosion per year

• hard rock 0.1 meters of erosion per year

Human Activity in sediment cells

• disrupting movement of sediment via harbours, groynes jetties

• can also be disrupted by river dams effecting fluvial deposition

Sediment Cells (Inputs, Transfers and Stores)

• Inputs, cliff erosion, fluvial sediment, erosional deposition features e.g beaches, offshore bars and sediment.

• Transfers, longshore drift, currents and saltation

• stores - permanent stores, estuary, submarine canyon, offshore bar/bank dredging

• temporary stores, sedimentary features e.g beaches, sand dunes, spits/ bars

Sediment cells , Sediment sinks, Sediment sources

• length of a coastline where sediment moves throughout

• areas inside the cell which gains and holds sediment

• places where sediment comes from

Coastal Landscape Management - Sandbanks, Dorset

• peninsula which separates much of poole harbour from poole bay

• high income area, properties range from 2-10 million

• climate change puts sandbanks at risk, sea levels risen 0.6 meters in last 100 years

• will cut sandbanks off from mainland, 18 million in damages predicted

• beach replenishment schemes like rain bowling keep equilibrium

• lsd management such as groynes protect the beaches

• sediment dumping costs £3 per m vs rain bowling 20 per m

• without use of hard engineering erosion rates would be 1 meter per year