Study guide
Coastal Environments - complete A* grade notes with contents page - 64 pages
- Institution
- CIE
A* notes on the COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS section of the CIE Geography A level. Other modules available
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
5 reviews
By: nina8821 • 3 year ago
By: martinmcpherson • 4 year ago
By: elvinsan • 5 year ago
By: dani1shaw • 5 year ago
Reply deleted by the user
By: helen28 • 5 year ago
By: dani1shaw • 5 year ago
Hi, please could you give a reason why you’ve rated 3 stars rather than higher. Thank you.
By: suebarley • 6 year ago
Content preview
CONTENTS FOR COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS8.1 Coastal Processes .............................................................................................................................. 5
The littoral/coastal zone .................................................................................................................... 5
Factors influencing coasts .................................................................................................................. 5
Dynamic equilibrium .......................................................................................................................... 6
Factors affecting coasts ...................................................................................................................... 7
How the coast is shaped by wave action........................................................................................... 7
Wave construction ............................................................................................................................. 7
Tides & Tidal cycles ............................................................................................................................ 9
Tidal frequency ............................................................................................................................... 9
Tidal range....................................................................................................................................... 9
Tidal Bore ........................................................................................................................................ 9
Amphidromic points......................................................................................................................... 10
Storm Surges..................................................................................................................................... 11
Factors affecting the nature of the storm surge ........................................................................... 11
UK Storm Surge, 1953 ................................................................................................................... 11
Waves of Transition ......................................................................................................................... 12
Types of breakers .......................................................................................................................... 12
Constructive and Destructive waves ............................................................................................... 13
Processes and landforms relating to waves .................................................................................... 13
Wave refraction ................................................................................................................................ 15
Wave diffraction ............................................................................................................................... 16
Wave action ...................................................................................................................................... 16
Coastal erosion - marine processes ................................................................................................. 17
1. Hydraulic action .................................................................................................................... 17
2. Abrasion/corrasion ............................................................................................................... 17
3. Attrition ................................................................................................................................. 17
4. Solution/corrosion ................................................................................................................ 17
5. Cavitation (part of hydraulic action) ..................................................................................... 17
6. Sub aerial processes (weathering/mass movement) ............................................................ 17
Mass movement ............................................................................................................................... 18
➔ Landslides .......................................................................................................................... 18
➔ Soil creep ........................................................................................................................... 18
➔ Mud flows ......................................................................................................................... 18
➔ Slumping............................................................................................................................ 18
1
, ➔ Rock falls ........................................................................................................................... 18
Weathering ....................................................................................................................................... 19
Biological weathering.................................................................................................................... 19
Physical weathering ...................................................................................................................... 19
Chemical weathering .................................................................................................................... 19
Influences on coastal landscape systems ........................................................................................ 19
1. Lithology................................................................................................................................ 19
2. Structure ............................................................................................................................... 19
How geology affects cliff erosion..................................................................................................... 21
Sedimentary .................................................................................................................................. 21
Igneous .......................................................................................................................................... 21
Unconsolidated ............................................................................................................................. 21
Transportation – The Load ............................................................................................................... 22
Debris formation ............................................................................................................................... 22
Sediment moved by water ................................................................................................................ 22
3 types of sediment transport ......................................................................................................... 22
1) Bedload ................................................................................................................................. 22
2) Suspended load ..................................................................................................................... 22
3) Wash load ............................................................................................................................. 22
Transportation processes................................................................................................................. 22
• Traction ................................................................................................................................. 22
• Saltation ................................................................................................................................ 22
• Suspension ............................................................................................................................ 22
• Solution ................................................................................................................................. 22
On shore and off shore transportation ........................................................................................... 23
Longshore drift ................................................................................................................................. 23
Marine deposition ............................................................................................................................ 23
Sediment cells................................................................................................................................... 24
Introduction to coral reefs ............................................................................................................... 26
What do corals need to grow? ...................................................................................................... 27
Types of reef and how they develop (Darwin’s theory) ............................................................... 28
Subsidence theory of Darwin overview 1842.............................................................................. 29
Glacial Control theory of Daly 1915 ............................................................................................. 30
Stand still theory of Murry 1880 .................................................................................................. 30
The value of coral reefs .................................................................................................................... 31
2
, Threats to coral reefs ....................................................................................................................... 33
Local threats to coral reefs............................................................................................................... 35
Global threats ................................................................................................................................... 35
Coral bleaching ................................................................................................................................. 36
Management of coral reefs .............................................................................................................. 37
Difference between adaptation and mitigation ............................................................................. 37
Strategies to reduce global warming (mitigation) .......................................................................... 38
Managing the Great Barrier Reef..................................................................................................... 40
Limiting factors on coral reef development .................................................................................... 42
Natural causes of reef decline ......................................................................................................... 43
Human impacts on reefs .................................................................................................................. 43
Management strategies ................................................................................................................... 43
Strategies for the successful development of marine protected areas........................................ 43
8.2 Characteristics and formation of coastal landforms ...................................................................... 45
EROSIONAL LANDFORMS ................................................................................................................. 45
Cliffs – most dominant feature of erosion: ................................................................................. 45
Wave cut notch: ........................................................................................................................... 45
Headlands and bays: .................................................................................................................... 46
Crack → cave → arch → stack → stump: .................................................................................... 46
Blow hole: ..................................................................................................................................... 47
The Pembrokeshire Coast (South West Wales) : Coastal Erosion Case Study ............................... 48
DEPOSITIONAL LANDFORMS............................................................................................................ 53
Beaches: ........................................................................................................................................ 53
Spits: ............................................................................................................................................. 55
Bars: .............................................................................................................................................. 56
Tombolo’s: .................................................................................................................................... 56
Barrier beaches:............................................................................................................................ 57
Barrier islands and offshore bars:................................................................................................ 57
Salt Marshes: ................................................................................................................................ 58
Plant succession ............................................................................................................................... 58
Succession in a salt marsh............................................................................................................. 59
Mangroves (tropical version of a salt marsh) :............................................................................ 60
Sea level change on features ........................................................................................................... 61
Features created by sea level change: ......................................................................................... 61
Impacts of present and predicted sea level rise ............................................................................. 62
8.4 Coastal management ..................................................................................................................... 63
3
,Environmental sustainability: Considers conserving the coastal system (cell), reducing or
preventing pollution, maintaining the aesthetics of the coastline Economic sustainability: ......... 63
Social sustainability: ......................................................................................................................... 63
Sustainable management: ............................................................................................................... 63
Stakeholders ..................................................................................................................................... 63
Strategies for coastal management ................................................................................................. 63
Protection methods – soft engineering ........................................................................................... 64
Protection methods – hard engineering.......................................................................................... 64
4
, COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS
8.1 Coastal Processes
The littoral/coastal zone:
➢ The zone of transition (the boundary) between the land & sea. It is a dynamic zone
meaning it’s constantly changing.
➢ It is affected by many processes, we are focusing mainly on beaches
➢ The zone adjusts to a series of physical processes such as wave energy and winds.
1) Land – 2) Humans – 3) Atmospheric factors – 4) Marine –
• Geology • Tourism & recreation • Climate • Tides
• Tectonics • Pollution • Global warming • Deposition
• • Solar energy • Salt
• Biotic features Sea defences
• Building • Weathering • Biotic features
• Gravity
• Conservation • Waves and tsunami’s
•
Biotic features = living
Factors influencing coasts: things in an ecosystem e.g.
plants, animals & fungi
Others in more depth:
Rock type (lithology)
- Hard rocks e.g. granite and basalt create rugged landscapes such as the Giants
Causeway in Northern Ireland
- Whereas soft rocks e.g. sands and gravels produce low, flat landscapes such as the
Nile delta area
Geological structure
- Concordant (Pacific) coastlines occur where geological strata lie parallel to the
coastline e.g. Pacific Coat of the USA
- Whereas discordant (Atlantic) coastlines occur where geological strata are at right
angles to the shoreline e.g. South West Coast of Ireland
Processes
- Erosional landscapes e.g. East Coast of England contain many rapidly retreating cliffs
- Whereas areas of rapid deposition e.g. Netherlands, contain many sand dunes and
coastal flats
Sea level changes
- Interaction with erosional and depositional processes produce changes in coasts
- For example, growing coastlines are due to deposition and/or a fall in sea level
whereas retreating coasts are due to erosion and/or a rise in sea level
5
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller dani1shaw. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £10.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
53340 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now