Chapter 1: Coastal landscapes - OCR A-Level
Geography- Questions and Answers
1.1 Modifications of emergent landforms ✔️✔️After the emergence of landforms, they are no
longer affected by wave processes. They do continue to be affected by weathering and mass
movement.
If temperatures increase sufficiently, the associated sea level rise could lead to these emergent
landforms agains being found much closer to, or even at, the coastline. They would then be
subjected to wave processes once more.
Raised beaches (emergent landform modification) ✔️✔️Biological weathering may also become
more significant with the colonisation of the surface by an increasing number of marine
organisms, such as limpets and whelks.
Abandoned cliffs (emergent landform modification) ✔️✔️On top of the abandoned cliff on the
Isle of Portland is a 1-1.5 m layer of frost-shattered limestone debris deposited when the area
experienced periglacial conditions during the last glacial period.
At the same time, the cliff face itself was gradually degraded by frost weathering processes,
leading to rock fall from the cliff face.
Evidence of other periglacial processes such as cryoturbation, is also evident as contortions in
fragmented limestone. They are the result of freezing and thawing of the permafrost in the
subsoil during the late Pleistocene period, the final glacial phase.
Periglaciation (Periglacial conditions) ✔️✔️Periglaciation describes geomorphic processes that
result from seasonal thawing of snow in areas of permafrost, the runoff from which refreezes in
ice wedges and other structures. "Periglacial" suggests an environment located on the margin
of past glaciers.
Permafrost ✔️✔️Permanently frozen layer of soil beneath the surface of the ground.
,Cryoturbation ✔️✔️The mixing of materials from various horizons of the soil down to the
bedrock due to freezing and thawing.
It can push larger artefacts to the surface of a site.
Pleistocene ✔️✔️The most recent glacial period.
The most recent epoch of the Late Cenozoic Ice Age, beginning about 1.8 million years ago and
marked by as many as 20 glaciations and interglaciations of which the current warm phase, the
Holocene epoch, has witnessed the rise of human civilization.
Climate change and sea level rise ✔️✔️An increase in global temperature leads to higher rates of
melting of ice stored on the land in ice sheets, ice caps and valley glaciers. As a consequence
there is a global increase in the volume of water in the ocean store and a consequent rise in sea
level.
As the temperatures rise, water molecules expand and this also leads to an increased volume.
The relationship between temperature and sea level is again clear: a 1ºC rise in mean global
temperature results in a sea level rise of approximately 2m.
Submergent landforms ✔️✔️-Rias
-Fjords
-Shingle beaches
Rias (Submergent landforms) ✔️✔️Submerged river valleys, formed as sea level rises. The lowest
part of the river's course and the floodplains alongside the river may be completely drowned,
but the higher land forming the tops of the valley sides and the middle and upper part of the
river's course remains exposed.
In cross section rias have relatively shallow water becoming increasingly deep towards the
centre. The exposed valley sides are quite gently sloping.
Rias (Submergent landforms) (Diagram) ✔️✔️
,Fjords (Submergent landforms) ✔️✔️Fjords are submerged glacial valleys. They have steep,
almost cliff-like, valley sides and the water is uniformly deep, often reaching over 1,000 m.
The Sogne Fjord in Norway is nearly 200 km long although those in Scotland are less well
developed as the ice was not as thick during the glacial period.
The U-shaped cross section reflects the original shape of the glacial valley itself.
Fjords (Submergent landforms) (Diagram) ✔️✔️
Shingle beaches (Submergent landforms) ✔️✔️When sea level falls as the volume of land-based
ice grows, large areas of 'new' land emerge from the sea. Sediment accumulates on this
surface, deposited by rivers, meltwater streams and low-energy waves.
As sea levels rose at the end of the last glacial period (Pleistocene), wave action pushed these
sediments onshore. In some places they beached at the base of former cliff lines; elsewhere
they may form tombolos and bar.
Shingle beaches (Submergent landforms) (Diagram) ✔️✔️
Holocene ✔️✔️The current interglaciation period, extending from 11,700 years ago to the
present on the geologic time scale. Follows the Pleistocene.
Modification ✔️✔️
Modifications of submergent landforms (Rias and Fjords) ✔️✔️Both rias and fjords may be
modified by the wave processes acting on their sides at the present-day sea level. The valley
sides may also be affected by the operation of sub-aerial processes in today's climatic
conditions or in any different climatic conditions of the future.
, This may eventually lead to a reduction in the steepness of the valley sides of fjords. With sea
levels predicted to rise by a further 0.6 m in the next 100 years, water depth in rias and fjords
will increase.
Modifications of submergent landforms (Shingle beaches) ✔️✔️Shingle beaches, being composed
of unconsolidated material, are especially vulnerable to modification. The tombolo at Chesil
Beach has been significantly affected by present-day longshore drift processes and is likely to
continue to be so in the future.
With further sea level rises predicted, shingle may be moved even further to the northeast (It is
currently moving at a rate of about 17 cm/year) and a beach of the tombolo is highly likely in
future storm events. Recent storms have seen waves over-topping the beach.
1.4 How does human activity cause change within coastal landscape systems? ✔️✔️Key idea ⮕
Human activity intentionally causes change within coastal landscape systems.
Sanbanks peninsula ✔️✔️Separates much of Poole Harbour from Poole Bay, heavily managed.
The responsibility for management lies collectively with Poole Harbour Commissioners, Poole
Borough Council and the Environment Agency.
The strategies employed form part of the Two Bays Shoreline Management Plan, based on the
sediment cell covering Poole Bay and Christchurch Bay.
Page 34.
Needs for coastal management (Sanbanks peninsula) ✔️✔️The need for management The
Sandbanks peninsula is a significant part of the coastal landscape system and needs
management for several reasons:
-Large number of high value commercial properties built on it, generates spending in the local
economy.
-Residential properties in high demand (4th most expensive in the world per sqm).
Geography- Questions and Answers
1.1 Modifications of emergent landforms ✔️✔️After the emergence of landforms, they are no
longer affected by wave processes. They do continue to be affected by weathering and mass
movement.
If temperatures increase sufficiently, the associated sea level rise could lead to these emergent
landforms agains being found much closer to, or even at, the coastline. They would then be
subjected to wave processes once more.
Raised beaches (emergent landform modification) ✔️✔️Biological weathering may also become
more significant with the colonisation of the surface by an increasing number of marine
organisms, such as limpets and whelks.
Abandoned cliffs (emergent landform modification) ✔️✔️On top of the abandoned cliff on the
Isle of Portland is a 1-1.5 m layer of frost-shattered limestone debris deposited when the area
experienced periglacial conditions during the last glacial period.
At the same time, the cliff face itself was gradually degraded by frost weathering processes,
leading to rock fall from the cliff face.
Evidence of other periglacial processes such as cryoturbation, is also evident as contortions in
fragmented limestone. They are the result of freezing and thawing of the permafrost in the
subsoil during the late Pleistocene period, the final glacial phase.
Periglaciation (Periglacial conditions) ✔️✔️Periglaciation describes geomorphic processes that
result from seasonal thawing of snow in areas of permafrost, the runoff from which refreezes in
ice wedges and other structures. "Periglacial" suggests an environment located on the margin
of past glaciers.
Permafrost ✔️✔️Permanently frozen layer of soil beneath the surface of the ground.
,Cryoturbation ✔️✔️The mixing of materials from various horizons of the soil down to the
bedrock due to freezing and thawing.
It can push larger artefacts to the surface of a site.
Pleistocene ✔️✔️The most recent glacial period.
The most recent epoch of the Late Cenozoic Ice Age, beginning about 1.8 million years ago and
marked by as many as 20 glaciations and interglaciations of which the current warm phase, the
Holocene epoch, has witnessed the rise of human civilization.
Climate change and sea level rise ✔️✔️An increase in global temperature leads to higher rates of
melting of ice stored on the land in ice sheets, ice caps and valley glaciers. As a consequence
there is a global increase in the volume of water in the ocean store and a consequent rise in sea
level.
As the temperatures rise, water molecules expand and this also leads to an increased volume.
The relationship between temperature and sea level is again clear: a 1ºC rise in mean global
temperature results in a sea level rise of approximately 2m.
Submergent landforms ✔️✔️-Rias
-Fjords
-Shingle beaches
Rias (Submergent landforms) ✔️✔️Submerged river valleys, formed as sea level rises. The lowest
part of the river's course and the floodplains alongside the river may be completely drowned,
but the higher land forming the tops of the valley sides and the middle and upper part of the
river's course remains exposed.
In cross section rias have relatively shallow water becoming increasingly deep towards the
centre. The exposed valley sides are quite gently sloping.
Rias (Submergent landforms) (Diagram) ✔️✔️
,Fjords (Submergent landforms) ✔️✔️Fjords are submerged glacial valleys. They have steep,
almost cliff-like, valley sides and the water is uniformly deep, often reaching over 1,000 m.
The Sogne Fjord in Norway is nearly 200 km long although those in Scotland are less well
developed as the ice was not as thick during the glacial period.
The U-shaped cross section reflects the original shape of the glacial valley itself.
Fjords (Submergent landforms) (Diagram) ✔️✔️
Shingle beaches (Submergent landforms) ✔️✔️When sea level falls as the volume of land-based
ice grows, large areas of 'new' land emerge from the sea. Sediment accumulates on this
surface, deposited by rivers, meltwater streams and low-energy waves.
As sea levels rose at the end of the last glacial period (Pleistocene), wave action pushed these
sediments onshore. In some places they beached at the base of former cliff lines; elsewhere
they may form tombolos and bar.
Shingle beaches (Submergent landforms) (Diagram) ✔️✔️
Holocene ✔️✔️The current interglaciation period, extending from 11,700 years ago to the
present on the geologic time scale. Follows the Pleistocene.
Modification ✔️✔️
Modifications of submergent landforms (Rias and Fjords) ✔️✔️Both rias and fjords may be
modified by the wave processes acting on their sides at the present-day sea level. The valley
sides may also be affected by the operation of sub-aerial processes in today's climatic
conditions or in any different climatic conditions of the future.
, This may eventually lead to a reduction in the steepness of the valley sides of fjords. With sea
levels predicted to rise by a further 0.6 m in the next 100 years, water depth in rias and fjords
will increase.
Modifications of submergent landforms (Shingle beaches) ✔️✔️Shingle beaches, being composed
of unconsolidated material, are especially vulnerable to modification. The tombolo at Chesil
Beach has been significantly affected by present-day longshore drift processes and is likely to
continue to be so in the future.
With further sea level rises predicted, shingle may be moved even further to the northeast (It is
currently moving at a rate of about 17 cm/year) and a beach of the tombolo is highly likely in
future storm events. Recent storms have seen waves over-topping the beach.
1.4 How does human activity cause change within coastal landscape systems? ✔️✔️Key idea ⮕
Human activity intentionally causes change within coastal landscape systems.
Sanbanks peninsula ✔️✔️Separates much of Poole Harbour from Poole Bay, heavily managed.
The responsibility for management lies collectively with Poole Harbour Commissioners, Poole
Borough Council and the Environment Agency.
The strategies employed form part of the Two Bays Shoreline Management Plan, based on the
sediment cell covering Poole Bay and Christchurch Bay.
Page 34.
Needs for coastal management (Sanbanks peninsula) ✔️✔️The need for management The
Sandbanks peninsula is a significant part of the coastal landscape system and needs
management for several reasons:
-Large number of high value commercial properties built on it, generates spending in the local
economy.
-Residential properties in high demand (4th most expensive in the world per sqm).
