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37 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Sub-aerial processes
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The general re-shaping of the land by normal atmospheric processes, for example wind and rain; includes weathering, mass movement, erosion and deposition. |
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Longshore drift
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The movement of loose materials along a coastline by wave action because waves break at an oblique angle to the shore. |
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Ecosystem
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An organic community of plants and animals interacting with their environment |
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Coral reef
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A marine ecosystem formed by reef-building corals |
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Mangroves |
Tropical and sub-tropical coastal forests; mangrove trees can grow in salty, tidal water. |
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Sand dunes |
Coastal sand hills above the high tide mark covered with grasses and shrubs. |
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Salt marsh |
A tidal ecosystem in estuaries and deltas consisting of mud flats with salt-tolerant grasses and plants. |
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Biodiversity |
The variety of species in an ecosystem |
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Hard engineering |
the use of concrete and large artificial structures by civil engineers to defend land against natural erosion processes. |
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Soft engineering |
Managing erosion by working with natural processes to help restore beaches and coastal ecosystems. |
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hydraulic action
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the power of the waves hitting the coast |
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Abrasion
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Waves pick up stones and hurl them at the coast
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Corrosion |
Sea water gradually destroys some rock components |
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attrition |
material carried by waves bumps against other material and is worn smaller and smoother |
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Beaches |
Accumulations of sand and shingle formed by deposition and shaped by erosion, transportation and deposition.
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Spits |
Long narrow beaches of sand or shingle that are attached to the land at one end. The extend across a bay or estuary or where a coastline changes direction. They are formed by longshore drift and powered by a strongly prevailing wind. |
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Concordant coastline
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Where the rock outcrops run parallel to the sea. (For example the south or the Dorset coast)
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Discordant coastline |
Rocks outcrop at right angles to the sea, forming headlands and bays. (For example the east of the Dorset coast)
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How Geology affects the coast |
Less resistant rocks are eroded more than the resistant rocks, this can lead to a coastline of headlands and bays. Hard rock forms high, rugged, steep cliffs. Softer rocks are generally less high, less steep and usually have evidence of slumping. |
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Examples of soft rock |
Clays and sands |
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Examples of hard rock |
Chalk or limestone
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How vegetation affects the coast |
Helps to protect and preserve coastal landforms. Over time features such as sand dunes will be colonised and "fixed" by vegetation. |
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Submergent coastlines
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Produced by rising sea levels, features rias (drowned river valleys) and fjords (drowned glacial valleys) |
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Emergent coastlines
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Produced by falling sea levels, features raised beaches (old wave-cut platforms and beaches now above sea level) and relict cliffs. |
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How human activities affect the coast
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Human activities can transform the landscapes and features of the coast. It is mainly effected by, settlement, economic development and coastal management. |
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Threats to coral reefs |
Pollution, overfishing, quarrying of coral for building stone and warming sea temperatures (this causes coral bleaching) |
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Threats to mangroves |
Economic development is the main threat, fish and shrimp aquaculture in south-east Asia has involved large scale clearance of mangroves. Mangroves are felled for timber and fuel, and their deforestation clears land for development. |
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Threats to salt marshes |
Development, agricultural and industrial pollution and rising sea levels |
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Threats to sand dunes
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There are issues with over-use of dunes for recreation, causing loss of vegetation and the "blow out" of the dune. |
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Stakeholders
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people with different interests in the coast |
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Sea wall (Hard engineering)
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A wall, often made of concrete, which protects the coast from waves (e.g. in Hornsea) |
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Groynes (Hard engineering) |
Wood or steel piling built at right angles to the beach that traps beach material being moved by longshore drift (e.g. in Hornsea) |
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Rip-rap (Hard engineering) |
Large boulder piled up to protect a stretch of coast. |
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Beach replenishment (Soft engineering) |
Pumping or dumping sand or shingle back onto a beach to replace eroded material being moved by longshore drift. |
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Fencing, hedging and replacing vegetation (Soft engineering)
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Helps stabilise sand dunes or beaches and reduces wind erosion |
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Cliff regarding (Soft engineering) |
The angle of a cliff is reduced to reduce mass movement. |
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Managed retreat |
Abandoning existing coastal defenced and allowing the sea to flood inland until it reaches higher land or a new line of sea defences. |