Littoral Zone Quiz and Flashcards for Edexcel A Level Geography

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Questions and Answers

What is one of the similarities between corrosion (solution) and carbonation weathering?

Both are caused by acidic seawater

Both result in erosion of limestone (correct)

Both are accelerated by high temperatures

Both only occur in alkaline rocks

Which process involves the breaking waves exerting a pressure of up to 30 tonnes per m² on a cliff face?

Hydraulic Action

Wave Quarrying (correct)

Carbonation Weathering

Abrasion

What factor contributes to the highest erosion rates in coastal landscapes?

Heavy rainfall (correct)

Low tide

Summer season

Short fetch of the waves

During which season are destructive waves the largest and most destructive according to the text?

Winter Signup and view all the answers

What impact do waves approaching the coast perpendicular to the cliff have on erosion rates?

Increase erosion rates Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a factor contributing to high erosion rates?

Low tide Signup and view all the answers

How does heavy rainfall impact coastal erosion according to the text?

Weakens cliffs by percolating through rock Signup and view all the answers

What defines the littoral zone?

The area of the coast subject to wave action Signup and view all the answers

Which factors contribute to the variations in the littoral zone?

Changes in sea level and climate change Signup and view all the answers

What is the backshore area within the littoral zone characterized by?

Only affected by exceptionally high tides Signup and view all the answers

Valentine's Classification describes the range of __________ that can occur.

Coastlines Signup and view all the answers

What causes an advancing coastline according to Valentine's Classification?

Deposition being the prominent process Signup and view all the answers

Which process describes the removal of sediment from a coastline by different types of erosion?

'Erosion' Signup and view all the answers

In coastal landscapes, what process may cause a coastline to retreat?

'Submerging' of land Signup and view all the answers

'Post-glacial adjustment' primarily results in what type of sea level change?

'Isostatic' Signup and view all the answers

'Isostatic sea level change' is related to what phenomenon?

'Negative feedback loop' Signup and view all the answers

'Erosion' is a result of __________ acting by themselves.

'One type' Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Classifying Coasts

A coast can be considered as an open system, receiving inputs from outside the system and transferring outputs away from the coast and into other systems.
These systems may be terrestrial, atmospheric or oceanic and can include the rock, water and carbon cycles.

Sediment Cells

Coasts can be split into sections called sediment cells.
Sediment cells are typically considered a closed-system in terms of sediment.
There are eleven sediment cells in England and Wales.
A sediment cell has:
- Sources: where the sediment originates from (e.g. cliffs, offshore bars).
- Through flows: the movement of sediment along the shore through longshore drift.
- Sinks: locations where deposition of sediment dominates (e.g. spits, beaches).
The coastal system operates in a state of dynamic equilibrium, where input and outputs of sediment are in a constant state of change but remain in balance.

The Littoral Zone

The littoral zone is the area of the coast where land is subject to wave action.
The littoral zone is constantly changing and varies due to:
- Short-term factors like tides and storm surges.
- Long-term factors like changes in sea level and climate change.
There are several subzones within the littoral zone:
- Backshore: area above high tide level and only affected by exceptionally high tides.
- Foreshore: this is land where most wave processes occur.
- Offshore: the open sea.

Valentine’s Classification

Valentine’s Classification describes the range of coastlines that can occur.
An advancing coastline may be due to the land emerging or deposition being the prominent process.
Alternatively, a coastline may be retreating due to the land submerging or erosion becoming the prominent process.
Emergent or submergent coastlines may be due to post-glacial adjustment (the land ‘wobbles’ as the glacier above it melts, causing isostatic sea level change), as well as other causes.

Coastal Processes and Land Formations - Erosional Processes

Erosion is a collaborative process which involves the removal of sediment from a coastline by different types of erosion, not one type acting by itself.
Corrosion (Solution): mildly acidic seawater can cause alkaline rock such as limestone to be eroded, similar to the process of carbonation weathering.
Wave Quarrying: breaking waves that hit the cliff face exert a pressure up to 30 tonnes per m².
Erosion rates are highest when:
- Waves are high and have a long fetch.
- Waves approach the coast perpendicular to the cliff.
- At high tide, waves travel higher up the cliff.
- Heavy rainfall occurs, water percolates through permeable rock, weakening cliff.
- In winter, destructive waves are the largest and most destructive.
The main processes of erosion are:
- Corrasion: sand and pebbles are picked up by the sea and hurled against the cliffs at high tide.
- Abrasion: sediment is moved along the shoreline, causing it to be worn down over time.
- Attrition: wave action causes rocks and pebbles to hit against each other, wearing each other down.
- Hydraulic Action: as a wave crashes onto a rock or cliff face, air is forced into cracks, joints and faults within the rock, causing it to fracture.

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Description

Learn about the classification of coasts in Edexcel Geography A-level Coastal Landscapes and Change. Understand the concept of open and closed systems, as well as the inputs and outputs in coastal systems.