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Chapter 4 discusses various coastal features and processes, defining key terms such as coasts, waves, swash, backwash, tides, and different landforms like cliffs, bays, and spits. It explains the dynamics of tidal movements, including high and low tides, as well as the effects of erosion and sediment transport along coastlines. The chapter highlights the formation of structures like wave-cut notches, sea arches, and sand dunes, emphasizing the interplay between land and sea.

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5 views4 pages

Definitions

Chapter 4 discusses various coastal features and processes, defining key terms such as coasts, waves, swash, backwash, tides, and different landforms like cliffs, bays, and spits. It explains the dynamics of tidal movements, including high and low tides, as well as the effects of erosion and sediment transport along coastlines. The chapter highlights the formation of structures like wave-cut notches, sea arches, and sand dunes, emphasizing the interplay between land and sea.

Uploaded by

virshetty2703
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 4- Coasts

Important definitions-

1. Coasts

A coast is the area where the land meets the sea. It's a boundary between the land and the ocean,
often featuring beaches, cliffs, and sand dunes.

2. Wave

A wave is a movement of water, usually created by the wind blowing across the surface of the sea.
Waves are characterized by their height (how tall they are) and their length (the distance between
two wave crests).

3. Swash

Swash is the movement of water that rushes up the beach after a wave breaks. It carries sand,
pebbles, and shells up the shore, sometimes helping to build up the beach.

4. Backwash

Backwash is the movement of water that flows back down the beach towards the sea after the
swash. It can carry sand and other materials back into the water.

5. Uprush

Uprush is another term for swash. It refers to the forward movement of a wave up the beach after it
breaks.

6. Tides

Tides are the regular rise and fall of sea levels caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the
sun on Earth's oceans. They usually occur twice a day.

7. Low Tides

Low tide is when the water level in the ocean is at its lowest point. This happens when the water
recedes away from the shore, exposing more of the beach.

8. High Tides
High tide is when the water level in the ocean is at its highest point, covering more of the shore. This
happens when the sea comes in, rising up the beach.

9. Spring Tides

Spring tides are especially high and low tides that occur when the sun, moon, and Earth are in a
straight line. This alignment causes a stronger gravitational pull, resulting in higher high tides and
lower low tides.

10. Tidal Range

Tidal range is the difference in height between high tide and low tide. A larger tidal range means a
bigger difference between the two, while a smaller tidal range means less difference.

11.Wave-Cut Notches

A wave-cut notch is a small indentation at the base of a cliff formed by the action of waves
repeatedly hitting and eroding the rock. Over time, this erosion can cause parts of the cliff to
collapse.

12. Wave-Cut Platform

A wave-cut platform is a flat, rocky area at the base of a cliff that is exposed when the tide goes out.
It forms as waves erode the cliff over time, leaving behind a flat surface.

13. Headland

A headland is a piece of land that juts out into the sea. It is usually made of harder rock that resists
erosion, while the softer rock around it erodes away, leaving it sticking out.

14. Cliff

A cliff is a steep, high rock face along the coast formed by the erosion of waves. Cliffs can be made of
different types of rock, which affects how quickly they erode.

15. Bay

A bay is a wide, curved area of sea where the land has been worn away by the action of waves. Bays
often have beaches because they are more sheltered from strong waves.

16. Sea Cave

A sea cave is a hollow area in a cliff created by the constant pounding of waves. Over time, the
waves erode the rock, creating a cave.
17. Sea Arch

A sea arch forms when a sea cave continues to be eroded and eventually breaks through the
headland, creating an arch shape.

18. Sea Stack

A sea stack is a tall, isolated column of rock that is left standing in the sea after the collapse of a sea
arch. It looks like a tall pillar rising out of the water.

19. Sea Stump

A sea stump is the remains of a sea stack that has been further eroded by the waves, leaving only a
small, low piece of rock above the water.

20. Beach

A beach is a sandy or pebbly area along the coast where sand, pebbles, and shells are deposited by
waves. Beaches can change shape with the movement of tides and waves.

21. Salt Marsh

A salt marsh is a flat, marshy area found in coastal regions, usually in sheltered bays or behind spits.
It's covered with salt-tolerant plants and is flooded by seawater during high tides.

22. Sand Dunes

Sand dunes are mounds of sand formed by the wind. They are usually found behind beaches and are
held together by plants that help stabilize the sand.

23. Spit

A spit is a narrow strip of land made of sand or pebbles that extends into the sea from the coast. It
forms when waves and currents move sand along the coast through a process called longshore drift.

24. Bar

A bar is a ridge of sand or pebbles that forms across the mouth of a bay, connecting two headlands.
It can sometimes block the water behind it, creating a lagoon.
25. Longshore Drift

Longshore drift is the process by which waves move sand and pebbles along the coast. Waves hit the
shore at an angle, carrying material up the beach with the swash and back down with the backwash,
gradually shifting it along the coastline.

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