Coastal
Landscapes
and Change
Enquiry Question 1: Why are coastal landscapes different and
what processes cause these differences?
, 2B.1 The coast, and wider littoral zone, has distinctive features and landscapes.
The littoral zone is the wider coastal zone including adjacent land areas and shallow parts of
the sea just offshore. It is divided into a number of subzones. The backshore zone, above
high tide level, is only affected by waves during exceptionally high tides (spring tides) and
during major storms. Wave processes are normally confined to the foreshore between high
and low tide marks. Shallow water areas close to land are termed the nearshore. This is a
zone of intense human activity, such as fishing and leisure, but also forms part of the
physical system of the coastline through the transfer of sediment by currents close to the
shore.
Coastal Classification
Several attempts to classify coasts have been made, based upon a range of criteria. Some
classifications have used long term criteria (such as geology and changes of sea level) while
others have used shorter term processes (such as input from rivers, waves and tides).
Changes in Sea Level
Emergent coasts - those resulting from a fall in sea level or uplift of the land, eg:
raised beaches and barrier beaches.
Submergent coasts - those showing a recent rise in sea level or fall in the land, eg:
rias (flooded river valley) and fjords (glacial valley).
Primary and Secondary Coasts
Primary - dominated by land based processes, eg: fjords, rias, deltas and volcanic
islands.
Secondary - dominated by marine based processes, eg: stacks and stumps
Tidal Range
Landscapes
and Change
Enquiry Question 1: Why are coastal landscapes different and
what processes cause these differences?
, 2B.1 The coast, and wider littoral zone, has distinctive features and landscapes.
The littoral zone is the wider coastal zone including adjacent land areas and shallow parts of
the sea just offshore. It is divided into a number of subzones. The backshore zone, above
high tide level, is only affected by waves during exceptionally high tides (spring tides) and
during major storms. Wave processes are normally confined to the foreshore between high
and low tide marks. Shallow water areas close to land are termed the nearshore. This is a
zone of intense human activity, such as fishing and leisure, but also forms part of the
physical system of the coastline through the transfer of sediment by currents close to the
shore.
Coastal Classification
Several attempts to classify coasts have been made, based upon a range of criteria. Some
classifications have used long term criteria (such as geology and changes of sea level) while
others have used shorter term processes (such as input from rivers, waves and tides).
Changes in Sea Level
Emergent coasts - those resulting from a fall in sea level or uplift of the land, eg:
raised beaches and barrier beaches.
Submergent coasts - those showing a recent rise in sea level or fall in the land, eg:
rias (flooded river valley) and fjords (glacial valley).
Primary and Secondary Coasts
Primary - dominated by land based processes, eg: fjords, rias, deltas and volcanic
islands.
Secondary - dominated by marine based processes, eg: stacks and stumps
Tidal Range
