Coastal Landscapes Flashcards
6 cards from real GCSE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Coastal Landscapes flashcards as text
What hard engineering technique places large boulders at the foot of a cliff to absorb and reduce wave energy?
Answer: Rock armour (rip-rap)
Rock armour, also called rip-rap, uses large boulders piled at the base of cliffs or sea walls to absorb wave energy.
What soft engineering strategy involves adding large quantities of sand or shingle to widen a beach?
Answer: Beach nourishment
Beach nourishment replaces eroded sediment, widening the beach so it better absorbs wave energy.
What hard engineering structure is built out into the sea, perpendicular to the coast, to trap sediment moved by longshore drift?
Answer: A groyne
Groynes are wooden or rock barriers built across a beach to trap sediment and widen the beach on the updrift side.
What coastal management approach involves allowing an area to flood or erode naturally rather than building defences?
Answer: Managed retreat
Managed retreat is a planned decision to let the sea reclaim land, often creating new habitats like salt marshes.
What soft engineering method involves planting marram grass to help stabilise coastal sand dunes?
Answer: Dune regeneration
Dune regeneration uses planted vegetation, such as marram grass, to bind sand together and stabilise dunes.
What is a large, curved concrete or rock structure built along a coastline to reflect wave energy back out to sea called?
Answer: A sea wall
A sea wall is a hard engineering structure, often curved, that reflects wave energy away from the coast.