coasts glossary (2)

plant succession

where a plant community changes over time due to an adaptation to changing growing conditions

ria

narrow winding inlet which is deepest at the mouth, and formed when sea levels rise causing coastal valleys to flood

rock armour

large rocks or concrete blocks that are used as barricades to reduce marine erosion at the base of cliffs

saltation

a form of transportation where smaller sediment bounces along the sea bed, pushed by currents

• this is due to the sediments being too heavy to be picked up by the flow of water

salt marsh

in sheltered bays, or behind spits, salt minerals build up - vegetation may establish (this stabilises the marsh)

sea wall

a hard management coastal defense - a concrete wall is built parallel to the sea front to redirect the energy from the waves away from sensitive cliffs or towns

sediment cell

sections of the coast bordered by prominent headlands

• the movement of sediment here is generally contained, and the flows of sediment act in equilibrium

sediment budget

the gains and losses of sediments between stores, transfers, inputs and outputs of sediments

soft management

use of natural materials/environmentally sustainable approaches to reduce coastal recession

• beach nourishment, managed retreat, sand dune encouragement

spit

long depositional landform, formed from sand and shingle

subaerial processes

the combination of mass movement and weathering that affects the coastal land above sea

submergent coast

a coast that is sinking relative to the sea level at the time

till

deposits of angular rock fragments in a finer medium

tombola

a spit joining mainland to an island

wave quarrying

where air is trapped and compressed against a cliff which causes rock fragments to break off the cliff over time