Key Terms: Coastal Landscapes in the UK Flashcards

All 7 cards in this deck

What is a constructive wave?

A low, long wave with a strong swash and weak backwash that builds up the beach.

What is a destructive wave?

A tall, steep, frequent wave with a weak swash and strong backwash that erodes the beach.

What is hydraulic power as a type of coastal erosion?

Waves forcing air and water into cracks in the cliff, so pressure breaks the rock apart.

True or false? Coastal abrasion and attrition are the same process.

False. Abrasion is sediment thrown against the cliff wearing it away; attrition is rock fragments hitting each other and becoming smaller and rounder.

What is longshore drift?

The zigzag movement of sediment along a coast, as swash moves it up the beach at the angle of the wind and backwash pulls it straight back down.

What is slumping as a type of mass movement?

Saturated material sliding down a cliff along a curved surface, leaving a rotated, curved cliff face.

What is managed retreat (coastal realignment)?

Allowing low-value land to be deliberately flooded and eroded by the sea, letting the coastline move inland naturally.