Coastal landscape systems

definitions and terms

constructive waves

a type of wave with a strong swash and weak backwash, so it pushes sediment up the beach

Destructive waves

A type of wave with a weak swash and strong backwash that takes sediment from the beach

Erosion

a process in which the powerful force of one thing hitting another, slowly breaks away the second thing

Weathering

The process in which the weather breaks something down - chemical, physical and biological.

Refraction

The bending of a wave towards the coast due to the wave slowing down at different speeds due to increasing fiction on the seabeds

regime shift

a large, abrupt change in the structure and function of a system, which occurs when a critical threshold is crossed, an example is the change from a low elevation tidal flat to a high elevation salt marsh

ecosystem engineers

an organism that directly or indirectly modifies, creates, maintains, or destroys habitats, significantly changing the availability of resources for other species e.g. spartan angelica grass

Freeze thaw

physical weathering process in which water expands as it turns to ice when it gets into cracks in rock

Thermal expansion

physical weathering process in which an increase of heat causes molecules to expand as they have more energy

Crystalisation

physical weathering process in which salt turns back into a solid after being in a solution

Oxidation

chemical weathering process in which chemical reactions involving oxygen create rust

Carbonation

Chemical weathering process in which the dissolution of calcium carbonate occurs due to the carbon dioxide in the water creating carbonic acids

Solution

Chemical weathering process in which the breaking down of ionic or molecular bonds of rock by water occurs

Hydrolysis

Chemical weathering process in which the chemical reaction of water with minerals causes a mineral change

Hydration

Chemical weathering process in which the chemical addition of water to minerals causes them to swell and crumble

Organic acids - chelation

a form of chemical weathering driven by biological activity which occurs when organic material produce organic acids that break down rocks and minerals

Tree roots biological weathering

Tree roots grow into cracks or joints in rocks and exert pressure outwards causing the rock to break

Kinds of erosion in the sea

• hydraulic action

• Abrasion

• attrition

• Solution

Depositional process - flocculation

pieces if sediment get stuck together and as they get heavier, they sink down

Depositional process - longshore drift

the primary process transporting sediment along a coastline, occurring when waves break at a slant due to prevailing winds.

Mass movement erosion - rockfall

rocks detach due to physical weathering

Mass movement erosion - slides

the downslope movement of rock, debris, or soil under the direct influence of gravity and waves undercutting the sides of a cliff

Fluvial transport

the river transporting sediment with its current

Aeolian erosion

the geomorphic processes by which wind breaks down, lifts, and removes Earth's surface materials

Aeolian transportation

the wind is able to pick up sand particles and move them by deflation and sand grains are move by surface rolling and saltation