Backwash

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Constructive and destructive waves.

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Swash

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Fetch, wind speed and wind duration.

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A wave is a disturbance on the surface of the sea or ocean, in the form of a moving ridge or swell.

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Corrosion/solution is when certain types of cliff erode as a result of weak acids in the sea.

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Coastal erosion is the wearing away of the land by the sea.

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Corrasion, abrasion, hydraulic action, attrition and corrosion/solution.

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The wearing away of land by the sea.

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Corrasion is when destructive waves pick up beach material (e.g. pebbles) and hurl them at the base of a cliff. Over time this can loosen cliff material forming a wave-cut notch.

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When rainwater hits rock it decomposes it or eats it away. This is known as carbonation. This occurs when slightly acidic (carbonic) rain or seawater comes into contact with sedimentary rock, such as limestone or chalk, it causes it to dissolve. A chemical reaction occurs between the acidic water and the calcium carbonate and forms calcium bicarbonate. This is soluble and is carried away in solution. Carbonation weathering occurs in warm, wet conditions.

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Salt weathering is when salt spray from the sea gets into a crack in a rock. It may evaporate and crystallise, putting pressure on the surrounding rock and weakening the structure.

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Recently weathered rock can be seen at the foot of chalk and limestone cliffs and is easily identified because it is angular.

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Chemical weathering is the breakdown of rock through changing its chemical composition.

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Mechanical weathering is the breakdown of rock without changing its chemical structure (composition).

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The movement of sediment and beach material through wave action.

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Longshore drift happens when waves approach the beach at an angle. The swash (waves moving up the beach) carries material up and along the beach. The backwash (waves moving back down the beach) carries material back down the beach at right angles. This is the result of gravity. This process slowly moves material along the beach and provides a link between erosion and deposition. The material is transported through suspension, traction, solution and saltation. Longshore drift provides a link between erosion, transportation and deposition.

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Littoral drift

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Coastal transportation involves material being transported by the sea being deposited or dropped.

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Traction – large pebbles and boulders are rolled along the seafloor.

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