A- level Coasts
,
,The littoral zone
The littoral zone consists of backshore, nearshore and offshore zones and is a dynamic zone of rapid
change.
Coastline- where the land meets the sea
- Approx. 4 bn people – 2/3 of humanity - live within 400 km of a sea coast.
- Roughly 3.5 billion people - half of the world's population - lives within 200 km of a coast,
occupying only 10 percent of the earth's land surface.
- In Latin America, the most urbanised of the developing regions, three-quarters of the entire
population live within 200 km of a seacoast.
The littoral zone is the area of shoreline where land is subject to wave action. It's subdivided
into offshore, nearshore, foreshore and backshore- dynamic zone of rapid change –> due to
tides wave energy
Offshore: The area of deeper water beyond the point at which waves begin to break. Friction
between the waves and the sea bed may cause some distortion of the wave shape.
, Nearshore: The area of shallow water beyond the low tide mark, within which friction between the
seabed and waves distorts the wave sufficiently to cause it to break. (breaker zone) There may be a
breakpoint bar between the offshore and nearshore zones.
Foreshore: The area between the high tide and the low tide mark.
Backshore: The area above the high tide mark, affected by wave action only during major storm
events.
Backshore Above high tide
Foreshore Below high tide- Intertidal zone, area were most
wave processes occur
Nearshore Inshore, where the waves break
Offshore Open sea area beyond the influence of waves
,
,The littoral zone
The littoral zone consists of backshore, nearshore and offshore zones and is a dynamic zone of rapid
change.
Coastline- where the land meets the sea
- Approx. 4 bn people – 2/3 of humanity - live within 400 km of a sea coast.
- Roughly 3.5 billion people - half of the world's population - lives within 200 km of a coast,
occupying only 10 percent of the earth's land surface.
- In Latin America, the most urbanised of the developing regions, three-quarters of the entire
population live within 200 km of a seacoast.
The littoral zone is the area of shoreline where land is subject to wave action. It's subdivided
into offshore, nearshore, foreshore and backshore- dynamic zone of rapid change –> due to
tides wave energy
Offshore: The area of deeper water beyond the point at which waves begin to break. Friction
between the waves and the sea bed may cause some distortion of the wave shape.
, Nearshore: The area of shallow water beyond the low tide mark, within which friction between the
seabed and waves distorts the wave sufficiently to cause it to break. (breaker zone) There may be a
breakpoint bar between the offshore and nearshore zones.
Foreshore: The area between the high tide and the low tide mark.
Backshore: The area above the high tide mark, affected by wave action only during major storm
events.
Backshore Above high tide
Foreshore Below high tide- Intertidal zone, area were most
wave processes occur
Nearshore Inshore, where the waves break
Offshore Open sea area beyond the influence of waves
