Coastal zone - Where the land meets the sea, Ocean - A very large expanse of sea (salt water) that covers 75% of the Earth’s surface and divided into 5 main areas, Fetch - The distance of ocean over which the wind has blown, Swash - The water that moves up the beach when the wave breaks, Backwash - The water that moves down the beach and returns to the sea under gravity, Constructive waves - Low energy waves with long wave lengths and build beaches, Destructive waves - High energy waves with short wave lengths and erode beaches, Tides - The rise and fall of the sea twice a day caused by the gravitational pull of the moon, Tidal range - The difference between high and low tide, Erosion - The process by which rocks are worn down and moved elsewhere due to mechanical and chemical action, Attrition - Rocks hit against each other in the waves to leave smooth, rounded pebbles, Hydraulic action - Force of the water hitting the cliffs (compressing air into small cracks causing rocks to weaken and break apart), Abrasion - The hurling of rocks at the cliff face, like sandpaper, Solution - The sea water dissolves any minerals in the cliff face, Weathering - The process by which rocks are broken down in situ (no movement involved) due to biological and weather processes, Freeze-Thaw mechanical weathering - At 0 degrees Celcius, water freezes in cracks. It expands as it freezes, so cracks get wider and then thaws. This process repeats until the rock breaks., Chemical weathering - Rain is slightly acidic because it dissolves CO2 from the air. It reacts with limestone which dissolves.., Biological weathering - Roots work their way into cracks in rocks and widen them. Burrowing animals also make cracks bigger, Wave-cut platform - A wide, gently sloping surface at the base of a cliff, Longshore drift - The transport of beach material along a beach, Deposition - When waves have less energy, material is put down, Spit - An extension of the beach that projects out to sea and is joined to the mainland at one end, Hard engineering - Coastal management involving man-made structures used to protect the coast e.g. groynes, sea walls, Soft engineering - Coastal management that works more with the natural environment to protect the coast e.g. beach nourishment,

Year 8 Coasts

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