geography definitions

• wave


  a ridge of water formed by the circular movement of water near the surface of the sea
• swash


  the forward movement of water running up the beach until is runs out of energy
• backwash


  the water running back down the beach, under the influence of gravity
• fetch


  the length of water over which the wind has blown
• offshore


  the seaward side of the coast, extending 370km out to sea
• onshore


  the landward side of the coast, extending 60km inland
• sub-aerial process


  a sub-aerial process is a process occurring on land, as opposed to underwater or underground
• weathering


  the break-down and decay of rock by natural processes, without the involvement of any moving force
• mass movement


  the downward movement of material under the influence of gravity
• prevailing wind


  the most frequent wind direction
• deposition 


  when material is dropped after being carried by a moving force such as waves
• concordant coastline


  where different types of rock run parallel to the sea
• discordant coastline


  where different types of rock run at right angles to the sea
• headland


  an area of land made of hard rock, jutting out into the sea
• bay


  a wide, coastal inlet that is open to the sea
• cave


  a hollow cut by the sea into the base of a cliff
• arch


  a coastal feature formed by meeting of two caves cut into either side of a headland
• stack 


  a detached column of rock located just offshore, usually caused by the collapse of an arch
• beach 


  an accumulation of coastal sediments, most often found in sheltered areas along the coast, such as a bay
• spit


  a long , thin ridge of material that is deposited by the sea in the direction of longshore drift, growing across a bay or estuary
• sand dune


  accumulations of sand shaped into ridges by the wind, found along coastlines
• plant succession


  the sequence of changes in the plant life of an ecosystem over time
• ecosystem


  a community of plants and animals that interact with each other and their physical environment
• abiotic


  non-living components of an ecosystem
• biotic 


  living components of an ecosystem
• coastal cells


  a section coastline within which the movement of sediment is self-contained