Types of Coastal Zones
Where are mudflats situated?
Mudflats are most commonly situated next to Salt marshes.
What are the three sub-systems for Coastal Zones?
Marine, coastal, and terrestrial.
How does deforestation contribute to erosion?
When humans remove the trees in a given area, that land is now vulnerable to the possibility of being wiped out by erosion.
What is erosion?
Erosion is the process in which materials are broken down by the natural force of wind and water.
How are primary coasts formed?
Primary coasts are formed when a land is submerged by water as a result of rising sea levels.
What coastal zone heavily relies tides?
Tide Pools rely on tides for the new nutrients and organisms they recieve during the tidal cycle.
What are the characteristics of the marine sub-system?
The characteristics include: water depth, salinity, temperature, currents, waves, and tides.
How do jetties contribute to erosion?
Jetties contribute to erosion due to the fact that they interrupt the natural flow of sediments. While they usually prevent erosion in their designed areas, their hoarding of sediments leads to an increase of Erosion in the neighboring coasts.
How are sea caves formed?
Sea caves are formed as a result of Erosion. When water breaks down the materials, a cave is formed in the structure they target.
How are secondary coasts formed?
Secondary coasts are formed as a result of coastal Erosion and deposition. The erosion wears the land away and the deposition places the materials down by the sea.
How are Barrier Islands formed?
Barrier Islands are formed as a result of tidal and wave actions that leads to a mountain of sand being constructed off the mainland, creating barrier islands.
What are the characteristics are the coastal sub-system?
Sandy and pebble beaches; rocky shores; tidal, wind, and wave regime; as well as shoreline topography.
How does human activity influence erosion?
As a result of the burning of fossil fuels, the temperature of the water has seen an increase that has heavily influenced the height of the water to grow. This means the waves can reach structures that they once could not.
How are sea arches formed?
Sea arches, like sea caves, are formed when erosion breaks down the materials of a structure, such as a cliff. What is different about sea arches is the fact that both ends can be entered just like a regular arch.
What do erosional shores look like?
They are most commonly described as being narrow and having a plethora of rocks covering the shoreline.
What biological factors can you find in Sandy Shores?
You can find creatures such as: snails, sea stars, clams, crabs, and microorganisms.
What are the characteristics of the Terrestrial sub-system?
Land topography, soil, resources of the surface water (water on top of land), groundwater resources, and aquifer structures (saturated rock).
How do dams contribute to erosion?
Dams block the amount of sediments that enter estuaries, which in turn causes erosion to increase.
How are sea stacks formed?
Sea stacks are formed when sea arches can no longer support the land on top of them due to increased erosion. This leads to the land on top collapsing, leaving a vertical strip of land remaining.
What do you find in a depositional shore?
In a depositional shore you can expect to find a large amount of sediments along with beaches, barrier islands, wetlands, and mudflats.
How would you describe an Estuary?
Estuaries can be described as bodies of water that have been partially closed off. They are also the place where you can see the transition from freshwater to saltwater.
Why are sub-systems important?
They are important as they make up the entirety of the coastal zones that are found in the majority of the world.
How does erosion impact humans?
Due to erosion, people are being forced out of their homes as a result of their land depleting and the area no longer being safe to live in. The risk of their homes tumbling off the eroding cliff grows more real every year.
What causes erosion?
Coastal Erosion is caused by wave movement. When waves hit structures, their force begins to break down the materials those structures are made of.
What is the difference between Coastlines and shorelines?
Shorelines are a lot more precise than coastlines. They measure the exact point where the water touches land whereas coastlines measure the general area.