Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Wave Energy
1. Waves are created when wind blows
over the surface of the sea creating
friction.
2. The size and energy of a wave varies
according to its speed and the
amount of time the wave has been
moving.
Waves are biggest and have the
most energy when the wind is
strong, has been blowing for a long
time and has come a long way.
The distance over which a wave has
travelled is called fetch.
3. Friction with the sea bed slows down
the bottom of the wave but the top
of the wave continues moving at the
same rate and topples forward,
braking against a cliff or beach.
Swash is water that washes up a
beach
Breaking waves
As waves approach
the shore, the
bottom of the wave
catches on the sea
bed causing the
wave to build up
(become taller).
The wave then
spills over (breaks)
ontoTsunamis
the beach.
Extension:
are a
type of wave but are not
caused by wind. Can you
suggest what causes them?
5
Coasts lesson 2 - wave formation
TYPES OF WAVE
Constructive
This wave has
limited energy
most of this is used
by the swash to
transport material
up the beach.
Destructive
This wave has
much more energy.
Most of this is used
by the backwash to
transport material
back down the
beach.
Destructive
Destroy beaches. They
are very high and
frequent. The
backwash is strong
and transports beach
material out to sea
Winter.
Swash Vs Backwash
Swash movement of water
up the beach
Backwash movement of
water down the beach
Constructive
Destructive
h
c
t
Fe
The Republic of Ireland, and South-West England (Cornwall) receive
the biggest waves as the fetch stretches across the Atlantic Ocean.
12
Coastal Processes
There are three main processes at
work in the sea:
Erosion
Transportation
Deposition
Erosion
This is destructive waves wearing away the coastline. It happens
when the waves are packed with energy. Erosion destroys landforms.
This is called
HYDRAULIC
ACTION
This is called
ATTRITION
2.Movie_-_Coastal_Kung_Fu.wmv
Transportation
Is the movement of material in the sea and along the
coast by waves.
Transport along the coast is when waves move material
across a beach. This is long shore drift.
The prevailing wind causes the waves to break on the
beach at an angle
Swash carries the material up the beach at an angle.
Backwash drags the material back down the beach at right
angle.
Each wave pushes material further along the beach.
Material is moved along the beach in the direction of the
prevailing wind.
Transport Processes
Longshore Drift
Longshore drift
Direction of longshore drift
movement
Backwash is
always at right
angles to the
beach
swas
h
Backwas
h
Direction of
prevailing wind
Evidence for
LSD
Deposition
Is the dumping of
eroded material on
the land by
constructive
waves. It happens
when the waves
have less energy.
Deposition creates
land forms such as
beach,spit, marsh
and dune belts.
Beach
A beach is a
landform along the
shoreline of an
ocean, sea, lake or
river. It usually
consists of loose
particles which are
often composed of
rock, such as sand,
gravel, shingle,
pebbles or
cobblestones
Spit
A spit is an
extended stretch of
beach material that
only joins the
mainland at one
end. They start to
form where there is
a change in the
direction of the
coastline.
Stages of spit
development:
Salt marsh
Salt marshes may
be formed behind a
spit. The zone
behind a spit
becomes a
sheltered area.
Water movement
slows down and so
more material is
deposited.
Deposition may
form a salt marsh.
Salt Marshes
Sand Dunes
Coastal
Management
SEA WALL
Absorb wave energy
so the cliff foot is
protected from
erosion
RIP- RAP
Groyne
s
REVETMENT
CLIFF
REGRADING
Beach
Drainage
BEACH
FEEDING