3.1.2: Coastal Systems and Landscapes.

Coastal Systems and Landscapes

Introduction

What is the coastline?

The coastline is a narrow zone where the land and sea overlap; it is the interface between land and sea.

It is where marie processes (processes of the sea), terrestrial processes (processes of the land) and atmospheric processes (of the air) interact to provide a variety of landforms.

Human activity/ intervention has an increased impact on coastlines. 

Within the coastal topic we shall look at:

3.1.2.1- Coasts as natural systems

• systems concepts and their application to the development of coastal landscapes. ( how systems are related to the coastal system). This involves the inputs, outputs, energy, stores, components, flows/ tranfers, poitive /negative feedback, dynamic equilibrium.
• The concepts of landform and landscapes and how related landforms combine to create characteristic landscapes.

The coastline is a dynamic environment, this means that the coasline is constantly changing. The coastline is never static.

Coastlines go through changes...

Short Term Changes

• Through the effects of tides, a single storm surge or a management decision. Coasts may alter on a relativley quick time scale. 

A storm surge is the rising of a large amount of water, usually due to a storm. Associated with low pressure weather systems. 

Long Term Changes

• Processes related to changes in sea level - these happens over a much longer period of time.

Looking at the Coast through a sytems model approach.

Because of the earth complexity, geographers look at the world through a models approach to simplyfy it…