Edexcel Geography A-Level - coastal landscape rose

rose flashcards

coasts

interface between land and sea where both marine and terrestrial processes interact

Discordant coastline

the layers of rock are perpendicular to the direction of the coastline.

Concordant coastline

Have alternating layers of hard and soft rock that run parallel to the coast.

lithology

The make up of each individual rock type

structure

way rocks are geologically arranged

differential erosion

How different materials erode at different rates

dip

the acute angle that a rock surface makes with a horizontal plane

joint

a fracture in rock along which there has been no movement

fold

stacks of originally flat surfaces that are bent/curved due to deformation

strata

layers of sedimentary rock

fault

A break in the earth's crust

bedding plane

longer or shorter pauses in deposition

halophytes

salt tolerant plants

xerophytes

plants adapted to arid environments

sand dune

a mound of sand piled up by the wind

salt marsh

an area of coastal grassland that is regularly flooded by seawater.

pioneer communities

first species to colonise an area

climax vegetation

most established/mature community, normally when vegetation is the same as the local environment

plagioclimax

The climax community when succession is stopped artificially

succession

A series of predictable and orderly changes within an ecosystem over time.

colonise

plants establish and take over an area

dominant species

the main plants/animals found in an area

sub aerial processes

land based processes which alter the shape of the coastline
weathering and mass movement

weathering

the gradual breakdown of rock at or close to the ground surface

mass movement

the movement of weathered material down a slope, as a result of gravity

corrosion

the gradual wearing away of a metal element due to a chemical reaction

attrition

bedrock pieces are hit against one another = break apart and become more rounded

abrasion

The grinding away of rock by other rock particles carried in water, ice, or wind

hydraulic power

The sheer power of the waves breaking rock apart as they force air into cracks in the rock.

sediment cells

areas along the coastline and in the nearshore area where the movement of material is largely self-contained

traction

sediment rolls along, being pushed by waves and currents
pebbles, cobbles abs boulders

saltation

sediment bounces along, either due to the force of water or wind
sand sized particles

suspension

sediment is carried in water column
silt and clay particles

solution

dissolved material is carried in the water as a solution
chemical compounds in solution

lateral shift

net effect of the movement of sediment up and down the beach

Swash-aligned coasts

Wave crests approach parallel to the coast, so there is limited longshore movement of sediment

drift aligned coasts

waves break at an angle, so longshore drift happens consistently

gravity setting

large sediments deposited first, followed by smaller sediments as energy of transporting water becomes too low to move sediment

flocculation

depositional process that is important for very small particles, such as clay, which are so small they remain suspended in water. Clay particles clump together due to electrical or chemical attraction and become large enough to sink.

equilibrium

describes average condition of a system, as measured through one of its elements or attributes, over a specific period of time

dynamic equilibrium

when a systems inputs and outputs remain in balance - if changes do occur, then feedbacks will allow for correction

factors affecting dynamic equilibrium

supply of sand, energy of waves, changing sea levels, location of shoreline

negative feedback

control state of the system by dampening or reducing the size of the systems elements or attributes

positive feedback

mechanisms feed or increase the size of one or more of the systems elements or attributes over time

beach

small scale depositional landform consisting of loose material so morphology is altered

beach profile

the shape of a beach resulting from how waves break

factors affecting beach profiles

wave energy, size and shape of beach material, tidal range

berm

A nearly horizontal accumulation of sediment parallel to shore, caused by high tides

affect of sediment size

smaller sediment (sand) has lower infiltration rate, pebble beach has higher infiltration rate - more gaps for water to infiltrate into

offshore bar

created by waves offshore from the coast - destructive waves erode sand and deposit it as offshore bars

cuspate foreland

triangular shaped headland that extends out from the main coastline - sediment deposited at the point where they meet
stabilised by vegetation growth

tombolo

ridge of sand forms between small island and mainland
occurs by a build up of sediment from deposition

spit

sand moves along coast via longshore drift - when coastline changes direction the sediment builds up

bar

beach/spit extends across a bay to join 2 headlands

brackish

slightly salty, as is the mixture of river water and seawater in estuaries.

embryo dune

youngest dune and first stage in sand dune succession - the smallest ridge that is closest to the sea that often gets flooded by sea water

embryo dune characteristics

80% exposed sand, 1m high, very little moisture content, pH = 8+, lyme grass and sand couch found there

fore dunes

older and slightly higher dunes just shorewards of embryo dunes

mobile dunes

dunes that migrate over time as a result of the action of the the wind/ waves during storms or due to human activity

fore dune characteristics

5m high, 20% exposed sand, very little moisture, slightly alkaline, plants include marram and xerophytic species

yellow dune

early stage of dune succession, where little organic material has accumulated, so the sand is still yellow coloured

grey dunes

fixed, stable sand dunes that are covered by a continuous layer of herbaceous vegetation

grey dune characteristics

8-10m high, less than 10% exposed sand, increasingly acidic, vegetation = creeping fescue, sea spunge, marran

fixed dunes

sand dunes that are completely covered in vegetation which stabalises them and stops further movement of the sand.

dune slack

a depression in a sand dune system where ponds and lakes can form

blowout

a depression on the land surface caused by wind erosion

eustatic

global changes in sea level due to
change in amount of water
change in geometry of ocean basin

isostatic

changes in sea level resulting in the rise and fall of land masses

emergence

impact of a fall in sea level
MARINE REGRESSION

submergence

impact of a rise in sea level
MARINE TRANSGRESSION

glacial eustasy

when sea level changes in response to the amount of water stored in ice caps

LECZ

low elevation coastal zone
land area and population by country that is located in coastal zone bands ranging from 1m to 20m elevation above sea level

storm surges

short term change in sea level caused by low pressure and the pushing of water by winds

causes of storm surges

depression - as pressure drops, weight of air pressure pressing down drops = sea rises
tropical cyclone

factors affecting storm surge

high/spring tide, topography

mangrove

shrub/small tree that grows in coastal saline/brackish water

sundarbans

delta of the Ganges-Brahmaputra rivers that is a mangrove forest before flowing into the Bay of Bengal

polder

land created by the Dutch by draining water from an area

alluivum

deposits of sand, gravel + smaller sediment eg. silt

sediment cells - sources

sub-aerial processes, erosional processes + sediment brought to coastline by rivers
FLAMBOROUGH HEAD

sediment cells - transfers

longshore drift, onshore and offshore winds + tides
HOLDERNESS COAST

sediment cells - sinks

depositional landforms = spits, bars, tombolos etc
SPURN HEAD

dredging

removal of sediment for construction processes = depth of ocean increases = increased occurrence of destructive waves as they can maintain energy closer to shoreline

hard engineering

building artificial structures such as sea walls aimed at controlling natural processes

soft engineering

a sustainable approach to managing the coast without using artificial structures

sustainable coastal management

managing the wider coastal zone in terms of people and their economic livelihoods, social and cultural wellbeing, and safety from cultural hazards as well as minimising environmental and ecological impacts

revetments

offshore

away from shore

foreshore

That part of a shore uncovered at low tide.

nearshore

extends seaward from low tide shoreline to low tide breaker line

backshore

The part of a beach above the high tide line

integrated coastal zone management (ICZM)

means of holistically managing the coastline

shoreline management plan (SMP)

ICZM plan for a stretch of coastline in England and Wales
involves detailed consultation with local interest groups so that solutions can be found that are tailored to that particular sub cell and community needs

winners

people who have gained from the decision, either economically, environmentally or socially

losers

people who are likely to lose property or perhaps see the coastline concreted over and this view is an environmental negative

factors considered when making decisions about coastal management

land use and value, engineering feasibility, environmental sensitivity, impacts of coastal processes

20 mark questions

PEACE paragraphs and SASSY conclusions

PEACE paragraph

P = point
E = example
A = application
C = criticise
E = evaluation

SASSY conclusion

S = summary
A = analysis
S = scale
S = synoptic
Y = your thoughts

hummus

Dark colored substance in soil from decayed organic material