Coasts - Key Terms/words (Geography)

Front 1

Arch

Back 1

Wave-eroded passage through a small headland. This begins as a cave formed in the headland, which is gradually widened and deepended until it cuts through.

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Attrition

Back 2

Erosion caused when rocks and boulders transported by waves bump into each other and break up into smaller pieces.

Front 3

Beach Nourishment

Back 3

The addition of new material to a beach naturally, through the action of longshore drift or artifically, through the dumping of large amounts of material.

Front 4

Backswash

Back 4

The return of water to the sea after waves break on a beach.

Front 5

Constructive Waves

Back 5

Found on low-angled beaches and mainly responsible for coastal deposition. They are gently breaking, with a much stronger swash than backswash.

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Corrasion/Abrasion

Back 6

Wearing away of cliffs by sediment flung by breaking waves.

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Destructive Waves

Back 7

Found on steep beaches, are steeply breaking and mainly reponsible for coastal erosion. Their backswash is much stronger than their swash.

Front 8

Fetch

Back 8

The maximum distance of water over which winds can blow. E.g. south-west England the maximum fetch is from the south-west (5000 miles). This also coincides with the direction of the prevailing wind and leads to larges storm waves attacking Barton on Sea.

Front 9

Gabions

Back 9

Steel wire mesh filled with boulders used in coastal defences.

Front 10

Groynes

Back 10

A wooden barrier built out into the sea to stop the longshore drift of sand and shingle and so causes the beach to grow. It is also to protect the beaches from cliff erosion and provide tourist amenity. But it can deprive the area of sediment because it traps it further inland.

Front 11

Hard Engineering

Back 11

Building artifical structures e.g. sea walls, groynes, they are aimed at controlling the natural process of the sea.

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Hydraulic Action

Back 12

The process by which breaking waves compress pockets of air in cracks in the cliff. Pressure can cause the crack t

Front 13

Longshore Drift

Back 13

Where waves approach the shoreline at an angle, carrying sediment and building up the beach. That is why there is a gradual zig-zag movement of beach materials along the coast.

Front 14

Managed Retreat

Back 14

Allowing cliff erosion to occur as nature takes it course: erosion in so me areas, deposition in others. Benefits include less money spent and the creation of natural environments.

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Mass Movement

Back 15

The downhill movement of weathered material under the force of gravity. The speed can vary considerably, from soil creep, where the movement is barely noticeable, to slumps, slides and mudflows, where the movement becomes increasing

Front 16

Pioneer Species

Back 16

The first plant species to colonise an area that is well adapted to living in a harsh environment.

Front 17

Revetements

Back 17

Wooden, steel, or conrete fence-like structures that allow sea water and sediment to pass through, but the strcutures absorb wave energy. A beach can build up behind the revetment and provide further protection for the cliff. These are used as part of coastal defences.

Front 18

Rock Armour

Back 18

Large stones placed along the coast to dissipate (make less) the energy of the waves and stop coastal erosion.

Front 19

Rco

Back 19

The collapse of the cliff face or the fall of individual rocks from the cliff face.

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Rotational Slip

Back 20

Slippage of a cliff face along a curved surface causing the cliff to retreat eventually.

Front 21

SMP

Back 21

Shoreline Management Plan - each local authority should have one that outlines strategies for their stretch of the coastline for defensive purposes.

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Salt Marsh

Back 22

Low-lying coastal wetland mostly extending between high anc low tide.

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Sediment Starvation

Back 23

An area of beach where the sediment has been held back e.g. groynes and as a result the beach downdrift loses sand and rocks become exposed as marine process are allowed to reach the clif.

Front 24

Slumping

Back 24

Mass movement of material from a cliff face as gravity takes over - often caused by being saturated

Front 25

Soft Engineering

Back 25

A sustainable approach to managing the coast without using artifical structures e.g. extra beach nourishment.

Front 26

Solution

Back 26

The dissolving of rocks such as limestone or chalk in water. Is also used for the transportation of dissolved che

Front 27

Spit

Back 27

A long narrow collection of sand and shingle formed by longshore drift and deposited where the coastline abruptly changes direction. One end is connected to the land and the other projects into the sea. The end is often a curved (hooked) end.

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Stack

Back 28

Waves erode rock left standing out to sea after wave erosion has separated it from the mainland. This is the next stage form the arch. Waves will continue to erode the foot of the arch until its roof becomes too heavy to be supported.

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Stump

Back 29

Formed by continuing wave action attacking a stack until it collapses so a 'mini' stack.

Front 30

Sub Aerial Erosion

Back 30

Weathering from above by the elements such as rain, wind and ice.

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Swash

Back 31

Forward movement of a wave up a beach.

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Sustainable

Back 32

A management approach that conserves the environment for future generations to enjoy as it is today.

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Undercutting

Back 33

Marine processes acting on cliffs and eroding between high and low water marks to the extent that eventually the material on the cliff face collapses because it does not have support at the base.

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Updrift

Back 34

Areas that provide a supply of natural material for deposition by longshore drift further along the coast. Updrift areas along the south coast of England are to the west.

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Vegetation Succession

Back 35

A sequence of vegetation species colonising an environment (stars with the pioneer plants).

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Wave Cut Platform

Back 36

A gentle sloping, rocky platform found at the foot of an eroding cliff and exposed at low tide.

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Weathering

Back 37

The break-down of rock by physical or chemical processes.

Front 38

Coast

Back 38

A narrow contact zone between land and sea that is constantly changing due to the effects of land, air and marine (sea) processes. Usually waves are the mian influence on coastal processes.

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Beach

Back 39

A deposit of sand or shingle at the coast, often found at the head of a bay.

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Suspension (A Type of Transportation)

Back 40

Particles carried (suspended) within the water.

Front 41

Saltation (A Type of Transportation)

Back 41

A 'hopping' or 'bouncing' motion of particles too heavy to be suspended.

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Traction (A Type of Transportation)

Back 42

Large pebbles rolling along the seabed.

Front 43

Caves

Back 43

These occur when waves are forced against the cliffs and so they force their way into the cracks which causes them to become bigger forming caves. Hydraulic action is the 'predominant' (main) process of this.

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Ringed Plover

Back 44

A type of bird that feeds and nests on the salt marsh.

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Common Blue Butterfly

Back 45

A type of butterfly that is a pernament resident and is commonly found on the salt marshes.

Front 46

Oystercatcher

Back 46

A type of bird that nests and feeds off the salt marshes.

Front 47

Cordgrass

Back 47

Is a spiky, untidy, long grass that growns fast on mudflats and is commonly found on salt marshes.

Front 48

Sea Lavender

Back 48

A plant that has attractive, colourful flowers which attract wildlife.

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SSS I (Site of Special Scientific Interest)

Back 49

Certain salt marshes are SSS I's as they attract many types of wildlife and others things of scientific interest.