coastal landscape development

• What are coastal erosional landforms caused by?

  Erosion
• Name one type of coastal erosional landform.

  Wave cut platforms
• How do wave cut platforms form?

  Through hydraulic action and abrasion at cliffs
• What happens to the cliff after undercutting occurs?

  The cliff retreats, leaving a wave cut platform

  
• What is a wave-cut notch?

  A recess formed by hydraulic action and abrasion
• What causes the overhang of a cliff to collapse?

  Weathering and gravity
• What is the role of hydraulic action in coastal erosion?

  It erodes rock through high-pressure water
• What is abrasion in the context of coastal erosion?

  Wearing away of rock by sediment particles
• What landforms can be created at a headland?

  Caves, arches, stacks, and stumps
• How does wave refraction contribute to coastal landforms?

  It concentrates wave energy onto headlands
• What happens to joints in a headland over time?

  They widen and form caves
• What occurs after a cave is formed in a headland?

  It can eventually form an arch
• What is a stack in coastal geography?

  A pillar of rock remaining after an arch collapses
• How does a stack eventually change over time?

  It erodes to form a stump
• What are the main types of coastal depositional landforms?

  • Beaches
  • Spits
  • Tombolos
  • Bars or barrier beaches
  • Salt marshes
  • Sand dunes
• How do beaches form?

  Through the action of constructive waves
• What are drift-aligned beaches?

  Beaches formed by longshore drift
• What is the difference between drift-aligned and swash-aligned beaches?

  Drift-aligned beaches have lateral sediment movement
• What causes a spit to form?

  Longshore drift depositing sediment

  
• What is a tombolo?

  A landform connecting an island to the mainland
• How do bars form offshore?

  Through sediment accumulation in shallow waters
• What is a lagoon?

  Water trapped behind a barrier beach
• How do salt marshes form?

  Through deposition in sheltered areas
• What are sand dunes formed by?

  Accumulation of sand by wind
• What role do pioneer plant species play in sand dune formation?

  They stabilize the sand and promote growth
• What is eustatic change in sea level?

  A change in ocean water volume
• What is isostatic change?

  A change in land height relative to water level
• How does thermal expansion affect sea levels?

  Warmer water expands, raising sea levels
• What happens during post-glacial adjustment?

  Land rebounds after ice melts
• What is a raised beach?

  A beach above high tide level
• What is a fossil cliff?

  A steep slope at the back of a raised beach
• What are submergent landforms?

  Landforms created by rising sea levels
• What is a ria?

  A drowned river valley with a V-shaped cross-section
• How are fjords different from rias?

  Fjords are deeper and U-shaped
• What is a Dalmatian coast?

  A landscape of valleys and ridges parallel to the coast
• How has global sea level changed since the industrial revolution?

  It has risen by about 235mm
• What impact could rising sea levels have on coastal cities?

  Inundation and salinisation of aquifers
• What does the IPCC predict for sea levels by 2100?

  They will be 0.3 - 1.0m higher
• How many people live on high-risk coasts?

  More than 1 billion
• What percentage of the world’s cities are coastal?

  75%