St Peter’s RC High School
Geography Dept.
Mr A Barnard | Mrs A Dadge | Mr J Mitchell | Mrs S Miklausic | Mrs G Stott | Mr A Williams
A2 GEOGRAPHY - AQA SYLLABUS A
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MODULE 4 - Challenge and Change in the Natural Environment
| 13.1 Coast Processes and Problems |
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| Structured Question and Essay practice |
The Coast and Marine Energy
- The coast as a system. INPUTS - PROCESSES - OUTPUTS
- Definitions and spatial pattern of coastal zones.
- The study of a small-scale coastline, using OS maps and other historical evidence if available to analyse changes over time.
- Inputs: wave energy, tides, currents, storm surges, tidal waves, changes in sea level, sediment, human activities.
- The processes and reference to localised ‘cells’ within which they operate are to be studied with the periodic nature of energy inputs to the coastal system. High and low energy coasts.
- Spatial variations in energy, including magnitude and frequency. The role of atmospheric processes and factors such as temperate and tropical low-pressure systems.
- Regional case studies, such as those relating to North Sea storm surges and tropical cyclones, are to be studied. [Links with 10.2 and 13.2]
- Outputs: loss of wave energy and depositional landforms.
- The sources of sediment: the sea bed, beaches, cliffs and river channels/estuaries. [Links with 10.1]
Marine Erosional Processes and Landforms
Processes and types of coastal erosion. Sub aerial processes operating in a coastal environment. Causes and impact of sea level changes on erosional processes and landforms. Landforms: rias, fiords, relict cliff lines, raised beaches. Coastal erosional landforms: cliffs, stacks, wave cut platforms, caves and bays.
Marine Depositional Processes and Landforms
Factors and processes encouraging coastal deposition. Impact of sea level changes on depositional processes and landforms. Coastal depositional landforms: bars/spits, beaches, sand dunes and salt marshes.
Example of the erosional and depositional processes and landforms to include a variety of scales and places such as Cornwall, Dorset, East Anglia and the margins of the Baltic Sea. [Links with 10.1 and 10.3]
Coastal Problems
Coastal flooding to consider an analysis of both physical and human factors on causes. The impact of global warming. The consequences and responses.
Contrasts in the context of the MEDW/LEDW. Coastal erosion: land loss, slumping of cliffs. [Links with 14.3]
Other human impacts: the impact of offshore dredging, recreational use, destabilisation of sand dunes, disturbance of estuarine environments and degradation of coral reefs. Responses to these impacts. [Links with 13.2 where global warming is analysed. River flooding in 10.1 is also relevant. Sections 10.3 and 14.3 are also pertinent here.]
Coastal Management Strategies
Working with or at variance with nature. Flood protection schemes: dams, barriers, walls and dykes. A national scale project, such as the Dutch coast is to be compared with projects in an LEDC such as Bangladesh.
Coastal protection schemes: groynes, revetments, gabions, wall, beach nourishment.
Regional or small scale studies are to be used such as the Holderness coast and/or Pett Level in the UK context.
Soft and hard engineering responses.
Management of coastal sand dunes and salt marshes. The large scale replenishment schemes in the Netherlands are to be compared with one small scale UK case.
Netcoast.nl is a good website which gives information on 'the challenge of intergated management'
Another good website is www.coastalmanagement.com. It covers the globe, with many good links to specific examples - A must for A grade wanabees!
www.coastalguide.org is a good site for data and responses to coastal problems in the UK. Beware of some outdated bits eg MAFF no longer exists, the Environment Agency is responsible for coastal management and flooding.
The DEFRA website is a must, with detailed reports
SCOPAC website has many resources on coastal management of the South Coast
The SCOPAC pages of maps is also worth studying
Similar on the South East Coastal Group .....
and Cardigan Bay in Wales
Coastal barrages. Issues related to the costs and benefits of such schemes. The values and attitudes influencing decision making processes.
One case to be studied such as the Cardiff Bay barrage. [Links with 10.3, 11.2 and 14.1]