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landforms.
1. Terms
2. Wave actions
3. Landforms
4. Coral reefs
5. Sediment cells
6. Storm & swell profiles.
7. Coastal management.
Terms
1. Waves is open water are called oscillatory waves.
2. The crest and the trough are respectively the highest and lowest points of a wave.
3. Wave height is the distance between the crest and the trough
5. Wave period (T) is the time taken for a wave to travel through one wave length.
7. Wave fetch is the amount of open water over which a wave has passed.
Constructive wave:
Constructive waves are low energy waves with a stronger swash than
backwash. Where there are less than 8 waves breaking each minute
they tend to be constructive waves. Constructive waves tend
to deposit material and build up a beach.
Destructive waves:
By contrast, destructive waves have much higher energy. They are
much larger in height. They have a weak swash but a strong
backwash,
and they therefore erode the beach by pulling sand and shingle (beach
materials) down the beach as water returns to the sea.
* Draw diagrams.
Constructive & destructive waves.
Constructive waves
Destructive waves
Marine erosion and wave-cut platform.
2. The waves erode along lines of weakness in the rock face to form a
notch.
5. As the steep cliff retreats landwards, a flat terrace at the foot of the
cliff is exposed to form a wave-cut platform.
Wave-cut platform
Explanation on how waves transport and
deposit sediment in coastal areas
Landforms
Using diagrams, explain formation of spits & coastal salt
marshes. Describe the effects of human activities can have
upon these landforms.
Formation:
• A spit is a bank of sand or shingle protruding from the coast into the
sea, or partially across a river estuary.
• It results from the movement of sediment along the coast by the
process of longshore drift.
• The tip of the spit is curved by powerful wave action or wave
refraction to form a lateral at A.
• Over time, the spit extends further, often with the development of
several laterals. Sediment is deposited in the shelter of the spit and
a saltmarsh develops.
• In places, spits can grow to extend right across an estuary joining
two headlands to form a bay bar.
• Where a spit links the mainland to an island, it is known as a
tombolo.
Diagrams of spit and salt marshes.
Features of spits and salt marshes.
1. Spit is an accumulation of sand and shingle that is attached to a
coastline.
2. Behind the spit are accumulations of silt and mud that are anchored
by vegetation to produce marsh and creek areas.
3. The laterals represent periods of growth of the spit are formed from
beach sediment transported by longshore drift which accumulates
where the coastline changes direction or where drift is held up by a
river mouth or estuary.
Beaches Beaches are the main feature of deposition found at the coast,
these consist of all the material (sand, shingle etc.) that has built up between
the high and low tide mark. There are number of different sources of beach material
-the main source being rivers, where fine muds and gravels are deposited
-at the river mouth. Other sources of beach material include longshore drift
(bringing material from elsewhere along the coast); constructive waves
(bringing material up the beach from the sea) and from cliff erosion.
As constructive waves build up beaches, they often form ridges in the beach
known as berms. The berm highest up the beach represents the extent
to which the water has reached during high tide.
Bars:
These form in the same way as a spit initially but bars are created
where a spit grows across a bay, joining two headlands. Behind the
bar, a lagoon is created, where water has been trapped and the lagoon
may gradually be infilled as a salt marsh develops due to it being a low
energy zone, which encourages deposition.
(b) The factors that can affect sea cliff profiles are wave
action (dependent upon fetch etc.), marine erosion
processes, geology and sub-aerial weathering and erosion.
These combinations can be shown to produce distinctive
profiles and answers should demonstrate some of these
and not merely generalise the cliff forms (‘any cliff’).
Clearly there is a lot of material available so we will expect
some selectivity. Even so there should be some
representation in each of the factor areas as well as some
idea of impact.
Coral reef
1(a) With the aid of diagrams, describe the nature
of fringing reefs, barrier and atolls.
(b) Give a brief explanation of the theories that
have been advanced for their formation.
(c) How can changes in sea level affect the
formation and continued existence of coral
reefs and atolls?
(d) What are the condition required for coral reef
formation?
Fringing, Barrier and Atoll.
• Good annotated diagrams will probably be the key here
and could receive
• the bulk of the marks. If well done could receive 3 marks
each. Fringing
• reef should show (be described as) a coral reef that is
attached to a shore
• either as a continuous wave washed erosion platform or
separated by a
• shallow lagoon. Barrier reefs are of great thickness (e.g.
Queensland) and
• are separated from coast by a wide and deep lagoon or
strait. Atolls are
• ring-shaped islands surrounding a central lagoon.
Theories of formation
Changes in sea level affect the formation and continued
existence of coral reefs and atolls
Coral is sensitive to heat and light it is also sensitive to changes in sea level as
reefs cannot survive long periods of sub-aerial exposure.
Falls in sea level can lead to the death of coral and to the emergence
of the reef above high water forming low lying land such as keys.
Gentle Currents;
Describe and explain the features shown below and account for the
Differences between the storm and swell profiles.
Storm and swell profile.
Coastal management
• In coastal terms this can mean the preservation both of the coastal
environment and its exploitation. Thus protection schemes that have
severe knock on effects are of limited usefulness.
• Similarly ado nothing approach may also have repercussions for the
long term coastal environment (loss of fishing, tourism landforms
etc). These aspects can be illustrated by reference to a particular
case study or more disparate examples.
* Examples: