What is a system? What is positive feedback?
- A process that transforms inputs - Where a flow or transfer amplifies
to outputs an initial change
What is an input? What is negative feedback?
- Matter or energy that is - Where a flow or transfer leads to
consumed by a system the reversal of an initial change
- Coastal inputs – energy is wind, What is dynamic equilibrium?
waves, tides - Represents a state of balance
- Material input – products of cliff within a constantly changing
erosion, subaerial erosion, glacial system
processes What factors effect the dynamic
What is an output? equilibrium of a coast?
- Matter or energy produced by a - Sand supply – sand gives
system shorelines protection from the
What is a boundary? waves. Less sand means more
- What entities lie inside and erosion
outside a system - Change in sea levels – e.g. New
What are the components of a Zealand sea level rise is 15cm per
boundary? 100 years and will rise further due
- Elements – make up of a system to climate change
e.g. rain, sand, plants, animals - Wave energy – erosive activity is
- Attributes – characteristics of affected by the wave height, the
elements that can be seen and angle, and the amount of sand
measured e.g. size, volume, - Location of shore
temperature, mass What does coastline mean?
- Relationships – associations - When the land meets the sea
between attributes and elements - The boundary between the
based on cause and effects terrestrial and marine boundaries
What are the coastal processes? Coastlines are constantly changing
- Erosion, transportation, due to:
deposition - Interaction of land forms
What are the coastal stores? - Rock type
- Beaches, dunes, salt marsh, cliffs, - Human impacts
wave cut platforms - Atmospheric changes
What are the 3 types of systems? - Marine processes
- Open – mass and energy transfer What factors affect the coastline?
across boundary. Flow of matter - Marine – waves and tides
and energy - Sedimentation – rivers transport
- Closed – constant mass where sediment, glaciers release
there is no matter flow. Only sediment, cliff collapse deposits
energy flow sediment into water
- Isolated system – theoretical - Atmospheric – rain, temp, wind
system, no interaction between - Human – pollution, defences,
system and surroundings. No recreation
energy or mass flow - Geological factors – rock type and
What are the 4 key subsystems? structure determine erosional or
- Hydrosphere, geosphere, depositional landforms
biosphere, atmosphere - Biotic factors e.g. vegetation
What is the carbon and water - Climate – weather effects winds
cycle? which generate waves and
- Links the 4 sub-systems glaciation change sea levels
- Systems that form relationships What does fetch mean?
which allow energy and mass - The distance the wind travels
transfers between spheres How do waves form?
, - Wind blows over the sea - Low energy – rate of deposition
- Friction with water surfaces cause exceeds the rate of sediment
ripples that develop into waves erosion
- The longer the fetch – more What is a swash aligned beach?
powerful wave - Forms in low energy environment
What is the crest and the trough? e.g. bays
- The top and bottom of a wave - Affected by waves arriving
What is the wavelength? parallel to shore
- The distance between two similar What is a drift aligned beach?
points - Forms when waves approach at
What is the swash? an angle
- Forward movement of a wave up - Sediment moved along beach by
to a beach and at a 45 degree LSD
angle Where is the backshore?
- Controlled by prevailing wind - Area between high water mark
What is the backwash? and the landward limit of marine
- The backward movement of water activity
down a beach when a wave has What is the foreshore?
broken at a 90 degree angle to - The area between high water
the beach mark and low water mark
- Controlled by gravity - The most important zone for
What is longshore drift? marine processes in times that
- The transportation of sediment aren’t influenced by storm activity
along a stretch of coastline What is the inshore?
caused by waves approaching the - The area between the low water
beach mark and the point where waves
- The movement of sediment stop having any influence on the
across the beach caused by the land beneath them
movement of swash and What is the offshore?
backwash - The area beyond the point where
What are destructive waves? waves stop impacting the seabed
- Waves where the backwash is and activity is limited to
greater than the swash deposition of sediment
- High wave height, short wave What is the swash zone?
length - The area where a turbulent layer
- Weak swash, strong backwash of water washes up the beach
- Steep beach gradient following the breaking of a wave
- High erosion, low deposition What is the surf zone?
What are constructive waves? - The area between the point where
- Constructive waves are when the waves break forming a
swash is greater than the foamy/bubbly surface and where
backwash the waves then move up the
- Short wave height, high wave beach as swash in the swash zone
length Where is the breaker zone?
- Strong swash, weak backwash - Area where waves approaching
- Shallow beach gradient the coastline begin, usually where
- High deposition and low erosion the water depth is 5,10m
What are high and low energy What is spring tide?
coasts? - When the tidal range is greatest
- High energy – strong, steady - Full moon and new moon
prevailing winds create high - Higher than average
energy waves and rate of erosion What are neap tides?
is greater than deposition
- A process that transforms inputs - Where a flow or transfer amplifies
to outputs an initial change
What is an input? What is negative feedback?
- Matter or energy that is - Where a flow or transfer leads to
consumed by a system the reversal of an initial change
- Coastal inputs – energy is wind, What is dynamic equilibrium?
waves, tides - Represents a state of balance
- Material input – products of cliff within a constantly changing
erosion, subaerial erosion, glacial system
processes What factors effect the dynamic
What is an output? equilibrium of a coast?
- Matter or energy produced by a - Sand supply – sand gives
system shorelines protection from the
What is a boundary? waves. Less sand means more
- What entities lie inside and erosion
outside a system - Change in sea levels – e.g. New
What are the components of a Zealand sea level rise is 15cm per
boundary? 100 years and will rise further due
- Elements – make up of a system to climate change
e.g. rain, sand, plants, animals - Wave energy – erosive activity is
- Attributes – characteristics of affected by the wave height, the
elements that can be seen and angle, and the amount of sand
measured e.g. size, volume, - Location of shore
temperature, mass What does coastline mean?
- Relationships – associations - When the land meets the sea
between attributes and elements - The boundary between the
based on cause and effects terrestrial and marine boundaries
What are the coastal processes? Coastlines are constantly changing
- Erosion, transportation, due to:
deposition - Interaction of land forms
What are the coastal stores? - Rock type
- Beaches, dunes, salt marsh, cliffs, - Human impacts
wave cut platforms - Atmospheric changes
What are the 3 types of systems? - Marine processes
- Open – mass and energy transfer What factors affect the coastline?
across boundary. Flow of matter - Marine – waves and tides
and energy - Sedimentation – rivers transport
- Closed – constant mass where sediment, glaciers release
there is no matter flow. Only sediment, cliff collapse deposits
energy flow sediment into water
- Isolated system – theoretical - Atmospheric – rain, temp, wind
system, no interaction between - Human – pollution, defences,
system and surroundings. No recreation
energy or mass flow - Geological factors – rock type and
What are the 4 key subsystems? structure determine erosional or
- Hydrosphere, geosphere, depositional landforms
biosphere, atmosphere - Biotic factors e.g. vegetation
What is the carbon and water - Climate – weather effects winds
cycle? which generate waves and
- Links the 4 sub-systems glaciation change sea levels
- Systems that form relationships What does fetch mean?
which allow energy and mass - The distance the wind travels
transfers between spheres How do waves form?
, - Wind blows over the sea - Low energy – rate of deposition
- Friction with water surfaces cause exceeds the rate of sediment
ripples that develop into waves erosion
- The longer the fetch – more What is a swash aligned beach?
powerful wave - Forms in low energy environment
What is the crest and the trough? e.g. bays
- The top and bottom of a wave - Affected by waves arriving
What is the wavelength? parallel to shore
- The distance between two similar What is a drift aligned beach?
points - Forms when waves approach at
What is the swash? an angle
- Forward movement of a wave up - Sediment moved along beach by
to a beach and at a 45 degree LSD
angle Where is the backshore?
- Controlled by prevailing wind - Area between high water mark
What is the backwash? and the landward limit of marine
- The backward movement of water activity
down a beach when a wave has What is the foreshore?
broken at a 90 degree angle to - The area between high water
the beach mark and low water mark
- Controlled by gravity - The most important zone for
What is longshore drift? marine processes in times that
- The transportation of sediment aren’t influenced by storm activity
along a stretch of coastline What is the inshore?
caused by waves approaching the - The area between the low water
beach mark and the point where waves
- The movement of sediment stop having any influence on the
across the beach caused by the land beneath them
movement of swash and What is the offshore?
backwash - The area beyond the point where
What are destructive waves? waves stop impacting the seabed
- Waves where the backwash is and activity is limited to
greater than the swash deposition of sediment
- High wave height, short wave What is the swash zone?
length - The area where a turbulent layer
- Weak swash, strong backwash of water washes up the beach
- Steep beach gradient following the breaking of a wave
- High erosion, low deposition What is the surf zone?
What are constructive waves? - The area between the point where
- Constructive waves are when the waves break forming a
swash is greater than the foamy/bubbly surface and where
backwash the waves then move up the
- Short wave height, high wave beach as swash in the swash zone
length Where is the breaker zone?
- Strong swash, weak backwash - Area where waves approaching
- Shallow beach gradient the coastline begin, usually where
- High deposition and low erosion the water depth is 5,10m
What are high and low energy What is spring tide?
coasts? - When the tidal range is greatest
- High energy – strong, steady - Full moon and new moon
prevailing winds create high - Higher than average
energy waves and rate of erosion What are neap tides?
is greater than deposition
