Earth: Our Home

Full Geography

Chapter 13
Coasts

Chapter 13: Coast

 You will learn:
- to explain the different coastal processes
- to explain the formation of coastal
landforms and features
- to evaluate the success of coastal
protection measures
 Coast

• Coast is the zone where the land

meets and interacts with the sea.

• An ever changing landscape shaped

by erosion and deposition.
Coastal processes - erosion
• Waves are the primary agent of erosion.

• Erodes the coast by hydraulic

action,corrosion, attrition and solution.
Processes of erosion  a closer
look at waves

• High energy waves will cause more

erosion.

• What factors determine the energy of

waves?
 Coasts

• Think about what determines the energy of

rivers.

• Can these factors determine the energy

of coasts? Why?
 Coasts
Wave energy is determined by
- wind speed
- fetch
- natural events (such as tsunamis)
- human events (such as sea traffic)
 Coasts

Watch the animation below on waves:

http://www.msu.edu/course/jrn/490/snapshot
.afs/herliczek/web/how/waves.htm
 Coasts

• When erosion occurs at the coast when waves

break.

• Look at the animation to study how wave breaks:

http://www.msu.edu/course/jrn/490/snapshot.afs/h
erliczek/web/how/waves2.htm
Identify the crest, swash and backwash of the wave.
 Other erosion agents:

- tides
- currents
 Coasts

• Waves and currents are also responsible for

transportation.

• Study the animation which shows how long shore drift

works:
http://oceanica.cofc.edu/An%20Educator'sl%20Guide
%20to%20Folly%20Beach/guide/driftanimation.htm
Josh left his soccer ball along the beach. Where will it likely
end up at the beach? Why?

Wave crest
 Quiz time!

• You have two minutes to study Fig 13.10 on page

259.

• After this, you will be shown some photographs

of coastal areas. Try to identify the features
correctly!

Good luck!
?

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- Cliffs are high, steep rock faces along the coast.
For example, the chalk cliffs of Dover.

Study Fig 13.12A to C

in your textbook.
Briefly explain how
cliffs are formed.

On this photograph,
where is shore
platform likely to
form?
Headlands and bays are likely to form in areas with
alternating bands of resistant and less resistant
rocks.

Where are the more resistant

rocks? Less resistant rocks?
• At the headland, the waves curve
in. This is due to the shallower
waters there, causing waves to
break. Energy is concentrated and
the headland undergoes more erosion.
• Conversely, the waves curve out in the
bay. The deeper waters allows the wave
to break very near the coast. Energy is
thus diffused, deposition at the bay area
occurs.
• Beaches, spits and tombolos are formed
when sediments accumulate along the
coast.

• The longshore current will carry the

materials along the coast till a bend in the
coast line is experienced. Materials will be
deposited in the direction of the longshore
current.
 Coasts

Below is an animation showing how a spit is

formed.

http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupDownloadFile.asp?
file=21605

(Animation can stop at Stage 3.)

 Coasts

• Coastal erosion is a landward movement of

the coastline. To prevent erosion,
measures have been take to protect the
coastline. These can include hard
engineering and soft engineering methods.
Hard engineering methods

Sea walls
 Coasts

Below is a link which you can find out more

on groynes:

http://www.channelcoast.org/programme_de
sign/defence_type/?link=groynes.html
 Coasts

From what you have read, list two

disadvantages of using groynes to prevent
coastal erosion.
 Coasts

• Gabions are wire cages containing rocks

which are used to form a wall to protect the

coast against erosion.

Think of one disadvantage in using gabions.

 Soft Engineering Methods

• Involves the use of natural processes or

agents to protect or stabilise the coast.

Read your textbook from pages 268 to 271.

 Coasts
1. Name one type of soft engineering
method which involves the use of plants.
2. Name two methods which involve the
use of sand.
3. Coral reefs are found off shore. What
effect do they have on the waves?
Below are terms which you have learnt in this chapter.
Group them into as many meaningful units as possible and provide a
heading for every group.
You may use a term more than once. The group with the most
groupings wins!
Bay Swash Tide Currents Mangroves

Tombolo Wave Spit Mangroves Fetch

refraction
Groyne Waves Erosion Gabion Wind
energy
Cliff Longshore Headland Deposition Coral reefs
Drift
Marram Shore Backwash Hydraulic Beach
grass platforms action