Revision Notes
Coastal Landscapes and Change
,Key Terms:
Coastal morphology: The shape and form of coastal landscapes and their features
Coastal recession: Another term for coastal erosion
Lithology: The physical characteristics of particular rocks
Concordant coast: This is where bands of more resistant and less resistant rock run parallel to the
coast
Discordant coasts: The geology alternates between bands of more resistant and less resistant
rock, which run at high angles to the coast.
, EQ1: Why are coastal landscapes different and what processes
cause these differences?
The coast, and wider littoral zone, has distinctive features and landscapes.
High energy coastlines:
Rocky coasts are generally donut in high-energy environments. These tend to be:
- Where waves are most powerful
- Where the rate of erosion exceeds the rate of deposition
- Erosional landforms (headlands, cliffs) tend to be found in these environments
Low energy coastlines:
Sandy and estuarine coasts are generally found in low-energy environments. These tend
to be:
- Waves are less powerful, or where the coast is sheltered from large waves
- Where the rate of deposition exceeds the rate of erosion
- Landforms such as beaches, spits and coastal plains tend to be found in these
environments
The coast as a system:
Each component of the coastal system - the inputs, processes and outputs - is linked.
Any change to a particular component then impacts the rest of the system.
The Littoral Zone:
The littoral zone stretches out into the sea and onto the shore. The zone is constantly
changing, because of dynamic interaction between the processes operating in the seas,
oceans and on land. It varies because of:
- Short term factors (daily tides, individual waves)
- Long term factors (sea level change or climate change).
The littoral zone is divided into different sections. Human activity occurs most in the
backshore and the foreshore.
Coastal Landscapes and Change
,Key Terms:
Coastal morphology: The shape and form of coastal landscapes and their features
Coastal recession: Another term for coastal erosion
Lithology: The physical characteristics of particular rocks
Concordant coast: This is where bands of more resistant and less resistant rock run parallel to the
coast
Discordant coasts: The geology alternates between bands of more resistant and less resistant
rock, which run at high angles to the coast.
, EQ1: Why are coastal landscapes different and what processes
cause these differences?
The coast, and wider littoral zone, has distinctive features and landscapes.
High energy coastlines:
Rocky coasts are generally donut in high-energy environments. These tend to be:
- Where waves are most powerful
- Where the rate of erosion exceeds the rate of deposition
- Erosional landforms (headlands, cliffs) tend to be found in these environments
Low energy coastlines:
Sandy and estuarine coasts are generally found in low-energy environments. These tend
to be:
- Waves are less powerful, or where the coast is sheltered from large waves
- Where the rate of deposition exceeds the rate of erosion
- Landforms such as beaches, spits and coastal plains tend to be found in these
environments
The coast as a system:
Each component of the coastal system - the inputs, processes and outputs - is linked.
Any change to a particular component then impacts the rest of the system.
The Littoral Zone:
The littoral zone stretches out into the sea and onto the shore. The zone is constantly
changing, because of dynamic interaction between the processes operating in the seas,
oceans and on land. It varies because of:
- Short term factors (daily tides, individual waves)
- Long term factors (sea level change or climate change).
The littoral zone is divided into different sections. Human activity occurs most in the
backshore and the foreshore.
