Wave Power
What do we call the water that rushes up the beach after a wave breaks?
Swash
What general process wears away the coast?
erosion
What is a bay?
A bend or indentation in the coastline where the land curves inward
What is the regular rise and fall of the sea called?
tides
What do we call structures built to reduce coastal erosion?
coastal defences
What do we call the water that flows back down the beach toward the sea?
Backwash
What process moves sediment along the beach in a zig-zag pattern?
longshore drift
A spit often forms across the mouth of a river or estuary. What causes it to extend outward?
longshore drift
What do we call the difference in height between high tide and low tide?
Tidal range
Name a coastal defense method meant to reduce the energy of waves.
groynes, rock amor, artificial reef, beach nourishment
Which type of wave (constructive or destructive) builds up beaches?
Constructive waves
What is it called when waves drop the material they have been transporting?
Deposition
What low-lying coastal habitat forms in sheltered areas and floods at high tide? It has a mix of silt and mud
saltmarsh
Which has the stronger effect on tides—the sun or the moon?
the moon
Name a coastal defense method used to keep the sea out.
sea wall
What is fetch?
distance wind travels over water
determines how big a wave becomes: the strength of the wind, the length of time it blows, and what key distance
Describe hydraulic action.
air being trapped in cracks and breaking rock apart
When a cave breaks through the other side of a headland, what feature forms?
an arch
In which direction do prevailing winds blow?
The direction that wind blows most often
Name a reason not all places get coastal defenses.
Cost
Don’t last forever (breakdown, need to be fixed or replaced)
Can cause their own new problems
Climate change → causes current systems to fail
What are the 4 wave erosion processes?
abrasion, hydraulic action, attrition, corrosion/solution
Why does part of a cliff face get eroded more quickly than others? (Hint: causes a headland to form)
softer rock erodes more quickly
After the roof of an arch collapses, what tall isolated rock is left behind?
Bonus (100 point): what forms after?
a stack
(a stump)
What kind of wave event can travel faster than a jet plane and is caused by underwater earthquakes?
a tsunami
Governments often protect areas with high economic value first. Name one example of a place likely to be prioritised.
London
Governments often protect areas with high economic value first. Name one example of a place likely to be prioritized.