Enquiry Questions

• What is the littoral zone?

  The area nearest the coastline with tides
• What occurs in the offshore zone?

  Waves begin to break due to friction
• What is the breaker zone?

  The nearshore area where waves break
• What characterizes the foreshore area?

  It lies between high tide and low tide marks
• What is the backshore area?

  Above high tide, affected by storms
• What are the different types of coastlines formed by the littoral zone?

  • Rocky/Cliffed Coast: High relief, resistant rocks, destructive waves
  • Sandy Coastline: Low relief, soft rocks, constructive waves
  • Estuarine Coastline: Low relief, salt marshes, deposition greater than erosion
• What is dynamic equilibrium in coastal landscapes?

  Balance between inputs, flows, and outputs
• What are the short-term classification criteria for coasts?

  • Energy inputs: tides, currents, rivers
  • Sediment inputs: deposition and erosion rates
  • Advancing and retreating: due to erosion and deposition
• What are the long-term classification criteria for coasts?

  • Geology: lithology and structure of rocks
  • Sea level change: emergent and submergent coasts
• What percentage of the UK’s coastline is rocky coasts?

  1,000 km of coastline
• How do rocky coasts differ from sandy plains?

  Rocky coasts have high energy erosion
• What distinguishes concordant coasts from discordant coasts?

  • Concordant: One hard rock layer protects others
  • Discordant: Alternating layers of resistant and soft rock
• What geological event created the Dalmatian Coast?

  Tectonic forces during the Alpine Orogeny
• What is a haff coastline?

  Unconsolidated structures parallel to coastline
• How did the Devensian glacial period affect haff coastlines?

  Sea level was lower, allowing deposition
• What is the role of vegetation in coastal areas?

  Stabilizes soil and reduces erosion
• What are the stages of sand dune succession (psammosere)?

  1. Embryo dunes form from trapped sand
  2. Pioneer plants colonize and stabilize sand
  3. Marram grass grows, forming yellow dunes
  4. Organic matter creates grey dunes
  5. Non-xerophytic plants colonize, reaching climax community
• What are the stages of salt marsh succession (halosere)?

  1. Flocculation of clay particles
  2. Colonization by blue-green algae
  3. Sediment accumulation raises marsh height
  4. Halophytic plants colonize
  5. Climax community reaches deciduous or coniferous forest
• What is hydraulic action in coastal processes?

  Force of water breaking up rock
• Which rocks erode easily due to hydraulic action?

  Boulder clay and weaker rocks
• What is abrasion in coastal processes?

  Waves throw sediment against rock
• Which rocks are most vulnerable to abrasion?

  Softer rocks like chalk and clay
• What is attrition in coastal processes?

  Transported material bashing each other
• What type of waves is attrition most effective in?

  Stronger wave areas
• What is corrosion in coastal processes?

  Wave water dissolving rock minerals
• Which type of waves is corrosion most effective in?

  Constructive waves
• What influences sediment transportation in coastal areas?

  • Wind direction and angle
  • Longshore drift
  • Currents and tides
• What are the processes of deposition that create landforms?

  • Spit: Beach extends off a headland
  • Bayhead Beach: Material deposited in bays
  • Tombolo: Bar connecting landscapes
• What is a bayhead beach?

  Beaches found in bays from constructive waves
• What is a tombolo?

  Bar connecting mainland to an island
• How does lithology influence coastal erosion?

  Different rock types erode at varying rates
• How do waves influence coastal erosion?

  Wave energy affects erosion rates and processes
• What causes tides in the ocean?

  Gravitational pull of the moon and sun
• How do tidal currents affect sediment transport?

  They transport sediment nearshore and offshore
• What are the main types of depositional landforms?

  • Spit
  • Bayhead Beach
  • Tombolo
  • Bar
  • Hooked/Curved Spit
  • Cupsate Foreland
• What is a spit?

  A beach extending off a headland
• How is a bayhead beach formed?

  By material deposited from constructive waves
• What connects two landscapes in a tombolo?

  A bar of sediment
• What characterizes a bar?

  Linear ridges of sand across a bay
• What causes a hooked or curved spit?

  Wave refraction or changing wind direction