Thursday, 10 January 2019
COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS - GENERAL
THE COAST IS INFLUENCED BY 4 MAIN FACTORS:
- Marine factors (eg sea level change or which marine process is dominant)
- Atmospheric factors (eg storms, acid rain)
- Human factors (eg building piers)
- Terrestrial factors (eg geological structure or rock strata (layers), rock type)
THE COAST IS SPLIT INTO 4 MAIN ZONES:
- Backshore = the area between the high water mark and the landward limit of marine
activity (where there is no ocean/waves unless in extreme conditions eg storms)
- Foreshore = the area lying between the high water mark & the low water mark, often seen
as the most important area for marine activity
- Inshore = the area between the low water mark & the point where the waves cease to
have any influence on the land around them
- Offshore = the area beyond the point where waves cease to impact the seabed & in which
activity is limited to deposition of sediments
1
COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS - GENERAL
THE COAST IS INFLUENCED BY 4 MAIN FACTORS:
- Marine factors (eg sea level change or which marine process is dominant)
- Atmospheric factors (eg storms, acid rain)
- Human factors (eg building piers)
- Terrestrial factors (eg geological structure or rock strata (layers), rock type)
THE COAST IS SPLIT INTO 4 MAIN ZONES:
- Backshore = the area between the high water mark and the landward limit of marine
activity (where there is no ocean/waves unless in extreme conditions eg storms)
- Foreshore = the area lying between the high water mark & the low water mark, often seen
as the most important area for marine activity
- Inshore = the area between the low water mark & the point where the waves cease to
have any influence on the land around them
- Offshore = the area beyond the point where waves cease to impact the seabed & in which
activity is limited to deposition of sediments
1
