COASTLINES

What do you need to know?

The unit can be divided into two parts: Processes and features What people do to protect sections of

coastline that are vulnerable to erosion

Key ideas about waves:

• How are they formed?• What affects their size

and strength?• What happens when

they reach shallow water?

• What happens when they break on the beach?

Key words Fetch Prevailing wind Wave refraction Swash Backwash Constructive waves Destructive waves

Erosion

What affects the rate of coastal erosion?

• Rock type• Geology of the

coastline• Shape of the

coastline

Key words Discordant coastline Concordant

coastline

How does the sea erode?What are the processes at work?• Corrasion or abrasion• Attrition • Scouring• Hydraulic action• Solution

You also need to know: How the sea sorts material on the beach? What weathering processes are at work on the cliffs?

What features are produced by these processes of erosion?1 More resistant rock

types e.g. chalk What is the sequence

of their formation? Headlands Caves Arches Stacks Stumps Wave-cut platforms

2 Less resistant rock types e.g. clay

What is the sequence of their formation?

rotational cliff slumping

3 And don’t forget the bays!

How does the sea move material (transportation)?

• You need to understand how longshore drift works along a stretch of coastline

• In what ways does the sea transport its sediment?

Solution Suspension Saltation Traction• What influences the size of sediment being

transported?

Beach

Sea

Cliff

Direction of longshore drift

When does the sea deposit material?What features are produced by the process of deposition?• Beaches Sand dunes Spits Bars Tombolos

What is the sequence of their formation?

How can the different processes of erosion alter or damage an area of coastline?

What do people do to protect the coastline, or deal with the consequences of erosion?

You need to learn a case study of how the sea is eroding part of the UK coastline.

You will need to know what is being done to protect or ‘manage’ this stretch of coastline.

What are the causes of erosion on this part of the coastline?

Key ideas:

Type of rock? Geological structure of the

coastline? Prevailing wind direction? Rate of longshore drift? Global changes in sea levels? Human influences?

What are the effects of coastal erosion on this part of the coastline?

Key ideas: How much land has been lost, since when? How many villages and farms have

disappeared? What towns and villages are under threat at the

moment? What specific roads or important industrial sites

are at risk? What tourist or leisure facilities are under

threat? What about the natural (physical) features that

are being eroded away?

What is being done to ‘manage’ or control coastal erosion along this coastline?

Key ideas:

Hard engineering e.g. revetments, sea walls, groynes,

tetrapods, gabions, rip-rap Soft engineeringe.g. beach nourishment ‘Do nothing’ or managed retreatHow are the decisions made?Who or what ends up getting protected?

What are the consequences of coastal management schemes along this coastline?

Key ideas: Knock-on effects further along the

coastline accelerated cliff erosion accelerated erosion of natural

features (Spurn Head?) prevention of sediment being

carried to other coastlines, both nationally and internationally

Visual impact of hard engineering schemes

Remember:

This case study has to be in the UK You can use a case study that is local

to you (e.g. Seaford for coastal management schemes)

To get maximum marks for a case study question: You must include some real ‘place knowledge’ in

your answer It therefore should not be vague and so could really

be about anywhere along the UK coastline! You should therefore learn some relevant facts and

figures about the stretch of coastline such as the place names, and so on

You must also develop the points you make (explain what you mean) and write fluently and in sentences

You must try and use geographical terminology wherever you can

Good luck, thanks for listening, see you next week!