Definitions

• Abrasion

  A form of erosion where loose material and sediment ‘sandpapers’ the walls and floors of the river, cliff or glacier. Also known as attrition
• Backshore

  The upper beach closest to the land, including any cliffs or sand dunes.
• Bar

  A section of sand caused by deposition. They join two sides of a bay together, creating a lagoon behind the bar.
• Beach morphology

  The surface shape of the beach.
• Beach nourishment

  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.
• Coastal recession

  The retreat of a coastline due to erosion, sea-level rise or submergence.
• Concordant coast

  A coastline where bands of alternate geology run parallel to the coast.
• Corrasion

  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 that make up the cliff.
• Corrosion

  The weak acid in seawater and some types of seaweed react with particular rock minerals, causing erosion and weakening.
• Dalmatian coast

  A concordant coastline with several river valleys running perpendicular to the coast. These valleys become flooded due to sea levels rising and produce long islands and inlets.
• DEFRA’s 1:1 Cost-Benefit Analysis

  The evaluation of a coastal town’s economic value compared to the cost of the management required.
• Discordant coast

  A coastline where bands of alternate geology run perpendicular to the shore
• Dynamic equilibrium

  A system where its inputs and outputs are in balance. Short term changes can affect this balance, negative feedback loops help to take the system back to dynamic equilibrium.
• Emergent coastline

  A coastline that is advancing relative to the sea level at the time.
• Estuary

  The point at where the river meets an ocean, often muddy or silty. Sometimes estuaries become exposed at low tide or hazardous to traverse in a boat due to sandbanks.
• Eustatic

  Global changes to sea levels
• Fetch

  The length of water over which the wind has travelled.
• Fjord

  Long narrow inlet of sea water which is between steep mountains. They are created when sea levels rise relative to the land, flooding coastal glacial valleys.
• Foreshore

  The lower part of the beach covered twice a day at high tide (the part of the beach that receives the most regular wave action).
• Freeze thaw

  A form of physical sub-aerial weathering where water freezes in the cracks of a rock, expands and enlarges the crack. This weakens the rock overtime leaving it more open to erosion.
• Geology

  The physical structure and arrangement of a rock.
• Glacial erosion

  The removal of loose material by glacier ice, involving plucking, abrasion, crushing and basal meltwater. (necessary in the formation of Fjords).
• Grading

  The layering of sediments based on their size.
• Groyne

  A form of hard-engineering. Low-lying concrete or wooden walls, constructed perpendicular to the seafront and run out to sea. They encourage the trapping of sediment to reduce erosion caused by longshore drift or by winds
• Hard management

  The use of concrete structures to reduce or halt the recession of a coastline. Includes: Groynes, Sea Walls, Rock Armour.
• High energy environment

  A coast where wave action is predominantly large destructive waves, causing much erosion.
• Hydraulic action

  The pressure of compressed air forced into cracks in a rock face will cause the rock to weaken and break apart.
• Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)

  Large sections of coastline (often sediment cells) are managed with one integrated strategy and management occurs between different political boundaries. It usually follows a holistic approach and takes into consideration different players.
• Impermeable

  A rock that does not allow water to pass through it
• Isostatic

  A local change in sea level due to a change in local coastline or land height.
• Littoral cell

  An area of coastline which has all sediment processes occurring sources, transport and sinks. A littoral cell is not a closed system.
• Longshore drift

  The transportation of sediment along a beach. Longshore Drift is determined by the direction of the prevailing wind.
• Low energy environment

  A coast where wave action is predominantly small constructive waves. Deposition usually takes place leading to beach accretion
• Mass movement

  Where there is a large downhill movement of material usually from a cliff-face. Here, the rock is often weak due to erosion and the movement is caused by gravity.
• Nearshore

  The area before the shore where the wave breaks before they reach the shore and then reform before breaking on the beach. It extends from the low-tide zone and then out to sea.
• Permeable

  A rock that allows water to pass through it.
• Plant succession

  Change to a plant community over time due to adaptation to changing growing conditions (eg. sand dunes and salt marshes).
• Ria

  Narrow winding inlet which is deepest at the mouth, formed when sea levels rise causing coastal valleys to flood.
• Rock armour

  Large rocks or concrete blocks, used as barricades to reduce marine erosion at the base of cliffs.
• Saltation

  A form of transportation where smaller sediment bounces along the sea bed pushed by currents. This sediment is too heavy to be picked up by the flow of the water.