Coastal landscapes

• What is the key idea regarding coastal landscapes?


  Coastal landscapes can be viewed as systems.
• How can the development of a coastal landscape be viewed?


  It can be viewed within a systems framework.
• What is a system in the context of coastal landscapes?


  A system is a set of interrelated objects comprising components and processes connected to form a unified whole.
• What do coastal landscape systems store and transfer?


  They store and transfer energy and material.
• What time scales can coastal landscape systems operate on?


  They can operate on time scales that vary from a few days to millennia.
• What types of energy are available to a coastal landscape system?

  Kinetic, potential, and thermal energy.
• What enables work to be carried out by geomorphic processes in coastal landscapes?


  The energy available to the coastal landscape system enables this work.
• What is the predominant material found in a coastal landscape system?


  The sediment found on beaches, in estuaries, and in shallow waters.
• What type of system are coastal landscape systems recognized as?


  They are recognized as open systems.
• What does it mean for a system to be open?


  It means that energy and matter can be transferred from and to neighboring systems.
• What is an example of an input to a coastal landscape system?


  The input of fluvial sediment from a river.
• What are the inputs to a coastal landscape system?

  Inputs include kinetic energy from wind and waves, thermal energy from the Sun, potential energy from material on slopes, and material from marine deposition.
• What are the outputs of a coastal landscape system?


  Outputs include marine and wind erosion from beaches and evaporation.
• What processes consist of stores in a coastal landscape system?


  Stores include beach and nearshore sediment accumulations.
• What are flows in a coastal landscape system?


  Flows are transfers, such as the movement of sediment along a beach by longshore drift.
• What happens when a system's inputs and outputs are equal?


  A state of equilibrium exists within the system.
• What is dynamic equilibrium in a coastal landscape?


  It is when the system produces its own response to restore equilibrium after a disturbance.
• What is a sediment cell?


  A sediment cell is a stretch of coastline and its associated nearshore area where sediment movement is largely self-contained.
• How is a sediment cell regarded in terms of system type?


  A sediment cell is generally regarded as a closed system.
• How many large sediment cells are there around the coast of England?


  There are eleven large sediment cells.
• What influences the development of coastal landscapes as systems?


  A range of physical factors influences their development and operation.
• How do physical factors affect coastal landscapes?


  They influence the way processes work and affect the shaping of the landscape.
• What is the significance of spatial and temporal impacts of physical factors?


  Some factors will have greater significance than others at different locations and times.
• How can factors in coastal landscapes be interrelated?


  One factor may influence another, creating complex interactions.
• What is the source of energy for coastal erosion and sediment transport?


  Wave action generated by winds.
• How does wind speed and fetch affect wave energy?


  The higher the wind speed and the longer the fetch, the larger the waves and the more energy they possess.
• What type of winds are effective at driving waves towards the coast?


  Onshore winds blowing from the sea towards the land.
• What happens when winds blow at an oblique angle towards the coast?


  The resultant waves will approach obliquely and generate longshore drift.
• What processes does wind carry out in coastal landscapes?


  Wind can carry out erosion, transportation, and deposition.
• How do you calculate the maximum wave height using fetch distances?


  Using the formula $H =$$0.36VF$, where H is in metres and F is in kilometres.
• What is the potential energy of a wave caused by?


  It is caused by its position above the wave trough.
• What is kinetic energy in a wave caused by?


  It is caused by the motion of the water within the wave.
• How do waves impart motion to water molecules?


  Waves impart a circular motion to the individual water molecules.
• What happens to a ball floating in the sea as a wave passes beneath it?


  The ball rises and falls but does not move horizontally across the water surface.
• What is the formula to approximate the energy in a wave in deep water?


  The formula is $P =$$H/T$, where P is power in kilowatts per metre of wave front, H is wave height in metres, and T is wave period in seconds.
• What does wave anatomy consist of?


  Wave anatomy consists of the crest, trough, wave height, and wavelength.
• How do waves formed in open oceans differ from locally generated storm waves?


  Open ocean waves have a long wavelength and wave period, while storm waves have a short wavelength and greater height.
• How do you calculate the energy of a wave with a height of 4 m and a period of 10 seconds?


  Using the formula $P =$$H/T$.
• What happens to waves when they move into shallow water?


  Their behavior changes markedly.
• What is the definition of wavelength?


  Wavelength is the distance between two successive crests or troughs.