2.1) Littoral zone

What is the littoral zone?

The wider coastal zone including adjacent land areas and shallow parts of the sea just offshore

What does the coastal zone include?

land (up to 60km inland) and sea (200 nautical miles offshore)

What are the four zones in the littoral zone?

Offshore, Nearshore, Foreshore and Backshore

OKAY NOW FRY BANANAS

Offshore Nearshore Foreshore Backshore

When do waves reach the backshore?

during heavy storms or at very high tides

What are high tides called?

spring tides

What are low tides called?

neap tides

How long are microtides?

0-2m

How long are mesotides?

2-4m

How long are macrotides?

more than 4m

Which part of the beach is most active?

the nearshore

What is the nearshore also called?

the inshore

What is dynamic equilibrium?

a condition of balance that exists in the natural world, e.g erosion and retreat of a cliff and the removal of the debris from the foot of the cliff to be deposited further down the coast

What do human activities do to the dynamic equilibrium at the coast?

they damage it

The coast is a dynamic zone of

rapid change

What are ways to classify the coast?

coastal plains/ rocky coasts

What are the features of a coastal plain?

• sediment from rivers

• beaches, sand dunes, spits and bars here

• lowland

• deposition and transport occur here

• short fetch

• less powerful waves

• sheltered

What are the features of rocky coasts?

• sediment from offshore currents

• stormy conditions

• erosion and transport occur here

• destructive waves

• long fetch= stronger wind

• sediments from mass movement

• cliffs, wave cut platforms and stacks here

• hard/igneous rock

• coasts are exposed

What is the fetch?

The uninterrupted distance over which wind blows

What is the swash?

The water that rushes up the beach when a wave breaks

What is the backwash?

The movement of water back down the beach

What short-term criteria are involved in the classification of coasts?

• Energy inputs e.g waves, tides, currents to classify coasts as high or low energy coasts.

• Sediment inputs help to classify as an eroding coastline or outbuilding coastline.

What long-term criteria are involved in the classification of coasts?

• Geology e.g lithology, or arrangements so coastlines can be classified as rocky, sandy, estuarine, concordant and discordant.

• Sea level changes can classify coasts as submergent or emergent.

What is an erosional coastline?

Where erosion \> deposition so there is a net loss of sediment and the coastline retreats

What is an outbuilding coastline?

Where deposition \> erosion so there is a net gain of sediment and the coastline advances