Found on low-energy coastlines/sheltered shorelines, often behind a spit/bar so near estuaries and harbours usually High oxygen content High nutrient availability Light Cleaning action of tides Can be affected by various factors: weather/climate, tides, wave type, sea...
In summer, the waves tend to be more constructive so the main work being done is deposition. This results in material being moved up the beach gradually, so the profile is gentler than in the winter when there are a lot of steep undulations close to the tide. Sea...
Raised beaches/shorelines These areas were once wave-cut platforms, but they are now at a higher level than the present sea level. Often, they are old cliff lines with wave-cut notches, caves, arches and stacks behind and above the current beach. The beach was formed...
Marine erosion is an inevitable process, but there are ways to manage it 25% of the population live within 25km of the coast, making it important to protect the coastline Rates of erosion depend on geology Coastal management is a challenging issue because decisions...
This barrage lies across the mouth of Cardiff Bay in Wales. Its construction was completed in November 1999, but it was not officially opened to the public until 2001. Environmental impact: Raises water level permanently which has worried residents near the edge of...
Coastal management techniques are introduced in a coastal environment because of the increasing need to protect and manage coastal landforms, landscapes and surrounding areas. There are two main aims of introducing coastal management in an area: Providing defence...
Located in Lancaster, Lancashire, in North West England The coastline stretches around 8.5km Defences have been created due to the improvement scheme in a seven-phase programme, taking place between 1989 and 2007 – it cost around £28 million altogether In general, the...
Located just north of Liverpool, this part of the coastline has the largest area of sand dunes in England, at a length of over 17km, and a width which ranges between 200m and 4km In the 20th century, the sand dune system experienced lots of erosion, and lost 700m...
Prior to the 1990s, coastal management was carried out on a very local scale. At Bournemouth, a large groyne was built so that longshore drift would replenish the sand at the beach. This, however, caused destructive waves to have greater effect on cliff faces, so...
Sediment around the coast moves in distinctive cells, but boundaries of sediment cells rarely coincide exactly with administrative borders of local authorities. To avoid a piecemeal approach, SMPs were introduced in 1995. There are 22 in total which correspond to...
This SMP is led by Bournemouth Borough Council The main areas of focus are the Poole and Christchurch Bays – it is also known as Subcell 5F The Plan was originally developed by Poole and Christchurch Bays Coastal Group in 1999, and later reviewed between October 2008...
Idea began at UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 Guidelines for ICZM set out in Agenda 21 Different authorities have since developed their own approaches to governance of coastal zones and integrated coastal management ICZM aims for coordinated application of...
Hydraulic action: impact of water (not rocks) hitting the rocks/cliffs – exerts lots of pressure on the surface so weakens it – can also be called wave pounding Wave quarrying: As a wave breaks against a cliff face, it traps air in cracks – it creates a lot of...
Wave steepness: steeper waves are higher energy so can erode more – breaking point is also important, as if waves break at the foot of the cliff, they will erode more than waves which break further from the shore Fetch: distance travelled by the wave determines how...
Wave-cut platform As waves break at the base of the cliff, they can create a wave-cut notch, a small inlet into the cliff. Further erosion increases the stress on the cliff. The notch migrates inland, and eventually the stress on the overhanging rock becomes too much...
Backshore: area between high water mark and landward limit of marine activity - changes here take place during storm activity Foreshore: area between high water mark and low water mark – most important zone for marine processes in times not influenced by storm...
Wind is a very important source of energy and is a primary source for other processes within the coastal system. It is an important agent for erosion and transportation. Various factors of a coastal system can be influenced by the wind: Longshore drift Strength of...
Waves are a primary agent in processes which shape the coast. Wave characteristics include: Wave height: vertical distance between crest and trough Wave length/amplitude: distance between 2 successive crests Wave frequency/period: time for one wave to travel the...
This process tends to occur on discordant coastlines, where there are headlands and bays, protruding different distances out into the sea. In deep water, the waves approach the coastline as normal. Nearer the coastline, frictional drag affects the waves because of...
The term current refers to permanent or seasonal movement of surface water in seas and oceans. The three main types of current are longshore currents, rip currents and upwelling. Longshore currents: also called littoral drift – occur as most waves approach shoreline...
Surface Currents These form from large circular patterns called gyres, which flow clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, and anti-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere because of the Coriolis effect. Wind patterns are a big factor influencing the formation of...
The tide is the periodic rise and fall in the level of the sea, caused by gravitational pull of the sun and the moon (moon has greatest influence though as it is closer to Earth). Gravitational pull of the moon pulls the Earth towards it, creating a high tide on the...
When meteorological conditions give rise to strong winds, higher water levels than those at normal high tide are produced – this is a tidal surge, or storm surge. The North Sea and east coast of Britain is particularly affected by tidal surges. Depressions play a part...
This is the rotating of the Earth towards the East Speed of rotation varies at different latitudes Forces moving objects on Earth to follow curved paths In the Northern hemisphere, they follow path right of intended course In the Southern hemisphere, they follow path...
Sediment is a very important input in coastal systems. It can come from many different sources: Offshore sand banks Estuaries Streams/rivers flowing into the sea Material from a biological origin including cells, coral fragments and skeletons of marine organisms Cliff...
These include marine and sub-aerial processes: Marine processes operate upon a coastline and are connected to the sea, such as waves, tides and longshore drift. Sub-aerial processes include processes that slowly break down the coastline, weaken the underlying rocks...
This is the in-situ decay of rocks/regolith exposed to the atmosphere. There are three branches of weathering: mechanical/physical, chemical and biological. Mechanical weathering: These largely depend on the type of climate at the coast. Freeze-thaw: This tends to...
Swanage Coastline This stretch of coastline is located in Dorset on the South coast of England. It is known for being part of the Jurassic coast, characterised by its many fossils along the coastline. In general, weathering processes are responsible for weakening the...
The coast is the part of the land near the sea, around the edge of a piece of land. The coastline is regarded as an open system with inputs, processes and outputs, and it interacts with the surroundings. Inputs include energy from waves/wind/tides/sea currents,...