Study Guides

Unit Summary

This unit, comprising of three variants, teaches pupils about processes and landforms associated with coastal, river and glacial landscapes. Pupils will learn about the formative processes involved in creating distinctive landforms and of the need for management.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain how wave processes shape the coast.

Key Notes

• Different wave types (constructive and destructive) affect the coast.
• The coast is shaped by processes of erosion (hydraulic power, abrasion and attrition).
• The coast is shaped by transportation (longshore drift) of sediment.
• The coast is shaped by deposition.

Vocabulary To Learn

• waves: ripples in the sea caused by wind blowing over the surface of the water
• erosion: the action of water wearing away rocks
• destructive waves: high, steep waves, typically formed by local storms, that remove sediment from beaches
• constructive waves: low waves, typically formed by distant storms, that deposit sediment onto beaches

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Swash is when a wave moves down the beach to the sea and backwash is when a wave moves up the beach from the sea.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Coastal erosion landforms Study Guide
• Costs and benefits of coastal management strategies Study Guide
• Example of a coastal management scheme Study Guide
• Examples of coastal landforms Study Guide
• Landforms of coastal deposition Study Guide
• The role of geology at the coast Study Guide
• Using GIS to visualise the impact of physical and human processes on coasts Study Guide
• Weathering and mass movement at the coast Study Guide