Coastal landforms

• What are coastal landforms?

  Natural shapes along the coastline
• How are coastal landforms created?

  By the interaction of the sea and land
• What defines cliffs as a coastal landform?

  Steep rock faces along the coast
• What is a headland?

  High rock jutting out into the sea
• What are bays?

  Curved inlets of water between headlands
• What are spits?

  Extended ridges of sand connected to land
• What causes the formation of coastal landforms?

  Where hard rock and soft rock meet the sea
• What is differential erosion?

  It creates distinct features by eroding softer rock faster
• What are the main coastal landforms?

  Headlands, bays, cliffs, beaches
• How do waves affect headlands and bays?

  Waves erode coastlines with varying rock hardness
• What happens to harder rock during differential erosion?

  It remains as headlands
• What is the role of waves in shaping coastlines?

  Waves erode and shape the coastline
• What is the wave attack zone?

  Area where waves erode the cliff base
• What processes weaken the cliff top?

  Weathering through freeze-thaw and chemical processes
• What is backwash in coastal processes?

  Water returning to the sea after swash
• How do beaches form?

  Through deposition of sand and pebbles
• What stabilizes embryo dunes?

  Vegetation
• What is longshore drift?

  Transport of sediment along the coast
• What happens when energy decreases at river mouths?

  Sediment is deposited
• What is hydraulic action?

  Force of water breaking rocks
• What is attrition?

  Breaking down of rocks through collision
• What is solution in coastal erosion?

  Chemical dissolution of rocks
• How do sea level changes affect coastlines?

  They cause submergence or emergence
• What occurs during sea level rise?

  Flooding of low-lying areas
• What happens during sea level fall?

  Expansion of beaches and coastal plains
• What is abrasion in coastal erosion?

  Rocks grinding against cliffs
• What is a raised beach?

  Land formed from sea level fall
• What is the impact of urbanization on coastal landforms?

  It can destroy habitats and increase erosion
• What do sea walls do?

  Protect coastlines from erosion
• What is beach nourishment?

  Adding sand to beaches for protection
• What is managed retreat in coastal management?

  Allowing natural erosion while relocating infrastructure
• What is the effect of coastal mining?

  Degradation of ecosystems and water pollution
• What is an advantage of soft engineering?

  Environmentally friendly and less disruptive
• What is a disadvantage of managed retreat?

  Displacement of communities and loss of land
• What is the role of vegetation in sand dune formation?

  It helps to hold the sand together
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of hard and soft engineering in coastal management?

  Hard Engineering:

  • Advantages: Effective protection, long-lasting
  • Disadvantages: High cost, disrupts natural processes

  
  

  Soft Engineering:

  • Advantages: Environmentally friendly, less disruptive
  • Disadvantages: Requires ongoing maintenance, less effective in severe storms
• How does the sea create the wave cut notch?

  Through hydraulic action and abrasion

  
• What are the processes that shape coastal landforms?

  • Erosion: Wave erosion, hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition, solution
  • Transportation: Longshore drift
  • Deposition: Building up beaches and sand dunes
• What is the name of the indentation in the cliff created by the sea?

  wave cut notch

  
• What are the effects of sea level rise and fall on coastal landforms?

  Sea Level Rise:

  • Flooding of low-lying areas
  • Erosion of beaches and cliffs
  • Formation of new bays and estuaries

  
  

  Sea Level Fall:

  • Expansion of beaches and coastal plains
  • Exposure of submerged land
  • Development of wave-cut platforms