Physical

• Abrasion is a form of erosion where loose material and sediment 'sandpapers' the walls and floors of the river, cliff or glacier.
• Attrition is a process where rocks bang against each other, chipping away to make smaller, smoother rocks.
• Backshore is the upper beach closest to the land, including any cliffs or sand dunes.
• Beach Nourishment is the addition of sand and sediment to an eroding beach by humans.
• The new material will be eroded by the sea which saves the cliffs or sand dunes from erosion and recession.
• Biological Weathering is a process where rocks are broken apart by vegetation and roots, or chemical reactions from animal faeces erodes the rock face.
• Corrasion is a form of mechanical erosion where material and sediment in the sea is flung at the cliff-face as waves break against it, this breaks up the rocks making up the cliff.
• Chemical Weathering is a process where the weak acid in rainwater dissolves chemical compounds in the rock.
• Drainage Basin is the area of land drained by a river and its tributaries.
• Dredging is a process where rubbish and sediment are dug up from the bottom of the river.
• Embankments are the banks of the river built up in brick and concrete, to increase the channel capacity.
• Estuary is the point at where the river meets an ocean, often muddy or silty.
• Fetch is the length of water over which the wind has travelled.
• Floodplain is the low lying and wide floor of a river valley.
• Floodplains are found in the lower course and tend to act as overspill for the river when its channel is full.
• Floodplain Zoning is a process where houses and buildings are built relative to the river to reduce their risk of flooding.
• Freeze Thaw is a form of physical sub-aerial weathering where water freezes in the cracks of a rock, expands and enlarges the crack.
• Geology is the physical structure and arrangement of a rock.
• The UK's landscape is diverse, with highlands and mountains, low-lying plains, and a varied relief due to geology.
• Groyne is a form of hard-engineering, low-lying concrete or wooden walls, constructed perpendicular to the seafront and run out to sea.
• Tough resistant rocks, such as granite, erode more slowly than softer resistance rocks, such as clay.
• Mountainous regions are typically composed mainly of hard rock, while low-lying plains are typically composed of soft rock.
• Hard Management is the use of concrete structures to reduce or halt the recession of a coastline, including: Groynes, Sea Walls, Rock Armour.
• Past glacial activity has greatly shaped the UK's physical landscape, creating many valleys and lakes.
• The UK has 32 rivers, with many major towns and cities located on the river banks.
• The UK also has many coastal towns and cities, as the coast can be home to many tourist attractions and large industrial plants.
• Salt Marsh is a type of wetland that builds up in sheltered bays or behind spits, with vegetation establishing and stabilising the marsh.
• Thalweg is the path of fastest water flow in a river.
• Hydraulic Action is the pressure of compressed air forced into cracks in a rock face, causing the rock to weaken and break apart.
• Permeable refers to a rock that allows water to pass through it.
• Mass Movement is where there is a large downhill movement of material usually from a cliff-face, often caused by gravity.
• Lowlands are an area of land that has a small relief, so tends to be flat and at a low elevation.
• Saltation is a form of transportation where smaller sediment bounces along the sea bed, pushed by currents, and is too heavy to be picked up by the flow of the water.
• Impermeable refers to a rock that does not allow water to pass through it.
• Levee is the banks of the river.
• Mechanical Weathering, also known as physical weathering, is the breakdown of rocks due to forces, not chemical reactions.
• Sea Wall is a hard-management coastal defense, where a concrete wall is built parallel to the seafront, to redirect the energy of waves away from sensitive cliffs or the edge of a coastal town.
• Relief is the difference in the height of land for a particular region, with a large relief indicating a region has a large difference between the lowest and highest points.
• Spit is a long depositional landform, formed from sand and shingle.
• Highlands are an area of land that is at a high elevation and tends to have a larger relief.