What is a wave?
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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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What is a wave?
Which type of wave has a strong swash and a weak backwash?
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Constructive waves

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Which type of wave has a strong swash and a weak backwash?
What causes waves?
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Waves are caused by the transfer of energy from the wind to the sea due to the friction of the wind on the water’s surface.

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What causes waves?
Identify the two types of wave.
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Constructive and destructive waves.

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Identify the two types of wave.
What is the fetch of a wave?
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The distance a wave has travelled.

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What is the fetch of a wave?

What is attrition?
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Attrition is when waves cause rocks and pebbles to bump into each other and break up.

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What is attrition?
What is coastal erosion?
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Coastal erosion is the wearing away of the land by the sea.

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What is coastal erosion?
Give an outline of what corrasion involves.
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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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Give an outline of what corrasion involves.
Identify the main processes of coastal erosion.
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Corrasion, abrasion, hydraulic action, attrition and corrosion/solution.

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Identify the main processes of coastal erosion.
What is corrosion/solution?
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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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What is corrosion/solution?
What is weathering?
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Weathering is the breakdown of rock in situ by the action of rainwater, extremes of temperature, and biological activity.

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What is weathering?
What is salt weathering?
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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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What is salt weathering?
Describe the processes of freeze-thaw weathering.
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Freeze-thaw weathering occurs when rocks are porous (contain holes) or permeable (allow water to pass through). Water enters the rock and freezes. The ice expands by around 9%. This causes pressure on the rock until it cracks. Repeated freeze-thaw can cause the rock to break up.

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Describe the processes of freeze-thaw weathering.
Describe the characteristics of rock that has recently gone through freeze-thaw.
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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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Describe the characteristics of rock that has recently gone through freeze-thaw.
What is chemical weathering?
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Chemical weathering is the breakdown of rock through changing its chemical composition.

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What is chemical weathering?
What is longshore drift also known as?
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Littoral drift

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What is longshore drift also known as?
What is the zig-zag movement of material along the shore by wave action called?
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Longshore drift

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What is the zig-zag movement of material along the shore by wave action called?
Describe how longshore drift transports material.
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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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Describe how longshore drift transports material.
What is solution?
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Material is dissolved and carried by the water.

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What is solution?
What is traction?
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Traction – large pebbles and boulders are rolled along the seafloor.

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What is traction?