Year 10 Coastal Processes and Management Test Revision

Hard engineering

involves building artificial structures which try to control the erosion of coastlines by deflecting or dissipating waves.

Groynes

wooden barriers constructed at right angles to the beach to retain material, which gets trapped between the groynes to prevent it being taken away by longshore drift.

Sea walls

walls built along the front of cliffs to protect settlements. They are often curved so the waves reflect back on themselves.

Hexagonal/living seawalls

mimic natural rocky shoreline while protecting the real shoreline from erosion and wave action, made of interlocking concrete panels which provide nooks for marine life to safely colonise

Revetments

wooden slatted barriers constructed towards the rear of beaches to protect the base of cliffs as they dissipate the energy of breaking waves.

Rock armour

barrier of large boulders placed before a cliff or sea wall to absorb and deflect the impact of waves.

Gabions

wire mesh cages filled with pebbles or rocks placed at the back of sandy beaches that dissipate and absorb wave energy as water enters the cages.

Breakwater

large concrete blocks and boulders located offshore to change the direction of waves and reduce longshore drift and help absorb wave energy.

Soft engineering

takes a more sustainable, natural approach to managing the coast, using natural materials to stabilise coastlines and reduce erosion.

Beach nourishment

where beaches are made wider and higher by dredge up sand and dump it on the affected area provide protection from erosion by absorption.

Managed retreat (coastal realignment)

Areas of low value are allowed to erode and create new intertidal habitats.

Dune Regeneration

taking action to build up dunes and increase vegetation.

Beach reprofiling

redistributing sediment from the lower part of the beach to the upper part of the beach.

Types of waves

Constructive and destructive

Constructive waves

Where the swash is more powerful than the backwash.

These waves build the beach by depositing sand particles (deposition)

Destructive waves

Where the backwash is more powerful than the swash.

These waves erode the beach by taking sand back to the ocean

Longshore drift

The movement of sand along the coast. The waves approach the beach at an angle but the the backwash returns straight back to the sea. The sand moves because the waves come at an angle so they get moved further along with every wave.

Human Activities in coastal areas

building, tourism, fishing, farming, and industry etc

Synoptic Charts

weather maps showing atmospheric conditions over a large area at a specific time, helping to predict weather patterns like rain or storms

Isobars

Lines on chart that are lines of constant or equal atmospheric pressure.

Where the lines are squeezed together is where wind is strongest and further apart means lower wind strength

High Pressure Systems

Wind moves in anticlockwise direction

The air sinks, bringing warmer weather and settled conditions

Low Pressure Systems

Wind moves in clockwise direction

The air is rising, typically causing wet, cloudy etc. conditions

Cold front

cold air comes and pushes hot air upwards resulting in colder temperatures

Blue lines, spiky triangles

Warm front

Warm air replaces colder air

Red lines, semicircles

Air Pressure

Hectopascals (hPa)

1013 hPa - marker for low pressure system

lowest atmospheric pressure - 1005

Occluded front

Sometimes as warm and cold fronts revolve around a depression, the cold front will catch up with a warm front.

Semicircles and triangles

Troughs

moist air one side, dry air other

Transect

a method used to study spatial variations across a specific area. It involves collecting data along a straight line or path to observe changes in characteristics, such as vegetation, elevation, or land use.