Booklet containing the essentials of revision on the topic of Coasts for GCSE Geography.

1. COASTS
REVISION
BOOKLET
GCSE
GEOGRAPHY

2. Note: To use with the work you have in
your exercise books and further revision
Helpful links
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/coasts/
On FRONTER there are all powerpoints as used in your lessons, with working links to the
online resources/ clips etc that have been used in lessons.
On FRONTER there is a link to an electronic version of the OCR GCSE Geography textbook
Miss Nash will be doing LOTS of revision with you in the run-up to your exams!
There will be afterschool sessions held in the run up to exams if required. These will be
informal, and will involve things like practising exam technique, and help with general
revision technique.

3. UNDERSTANDING THE QUESTION
When completing your GCSE Geography exam you must read the question carefully and answer it
in the right way to make sure that you get as many marks as possible. Always use geographical
terms in your answers e.g. compass directions, use the scale of the map, give grid references.
Here are some of the command words that you may be given:
Annotate - add notes or labels to a map or diagram to explain what it shows.
Compare - look for ways in which features or places are similar or different. e.g. a city in a LEDC
compared to a MEDC
Complete - add to a map or graph to finish it off.
Contrast - look for the differences between features or places. Often the question will ask you to
compare and contrast.
Define - explain what something means e.g. hydraulic action.
Describe - give details about what a map or diagram shows.
Discuss - usually wants a long answer, describing and giving reasons for or explaining arguments
for and against.
Draw - a sketch map or diagram with labels to explain something.
Explain or account for - give reasons for the location or appearance of something.
Factors - reasons for the location of something such as a factory.
Give your ( or somebody else’s) views- say what you or a particular group think about
something , for example should limestone quarries be allowed in the Peak District.
Identify - name, locate, recognise or select a particular feature or features, usually from a map,
photo or diagram.
Mark - put onto a map or diagram.
Name, state, list - give accurate details or features.
Study - look carefully at a map, photo, table, diagram etc. and say what it shows.
With reference to /refer to examples you have studied - give specific details about your case
studies.
With the help of/using the information provided - make sure you include examples from the
information, including grid references if it is a map

4. Content Revised?
Coasts
How weathering, erosion, transport and deposition
operate along constructive and destructive coastlines.
The formation of landforms along a stretch of coastline,
including cliffs, headland, cave, arch, stack, beach, spit -
with appropriate examples.
Human and physical reasons why the protection of
coastlines is necessary.
Different methods of coastline protection including the
sustainability of each (examples include groyne, offshore
breakwater, sea wall, rip-rap, revetment, gabion, beach
replenishment and managed retreat).
Case studies Named example
Coasts
A case study of one coastal area and its landforms.
A case study of coastline management, including reasons
for protection, measures taken, resulting effects and
possible conflicts.

5. Destructive or constructive?
Consider the wave characteristics carefully and identify whether they are for destructive or constructive
waves.
Destructive or Wave description
constructive?
weak backwash
Short wavelength
Steep waves
Erodes the beach
Long wavelength
Low waves
Strong swash
Deposits materials and builds beaches
Weak swash
Strong backwash
1. Read through each definition carefully and then choose the key term you think it is related to and write
this into the attempt box.
Definition Key term - Attempt Key term - Correct
answer
This is the force of water hitting the
cliff and squeezing air into the cracks
in the rock. As the air is squeezed into
the cracks this puts pressure on the
cracks and pieces of rock may break
off.
This is the process of rocks hitting
each other and breaking into smaller
rocks when they are in the sea.
This is the breakdown of rock in situ
caused by the weather and animals.
The force of the waves flings sand
and pebbles against the cliffs. This is
known as a sandblasting effect.
This is when animals such as rabbits
burrow into rocks or the roots of
plants widen cracks in rocks, putting
them under pressure.
This is a chemical reaction between
the sea water and the minerals in the
rocks. The sea water can slowly
dissolve chalk and limestone
increasing the size of cracks and
joints.
These processes occur on the cliff-
face and include mass movement and
weathering.
ENSURE YOU USE THESE PROCESSES AND EXPLAIN
THEM WHEN YOU DESCRIBE OR EXPLAIN THE
FORMATION OF A LANDFORM

6. 2. Read through the descriptions of the landforms and then complete the name and case study section of
the table.
Name Description of landform Case study example
Extended stretch of beach
material that projects out to
the sea and is attached to
the mainland at one end.
An area of hard rock that
extends out into the sea.
An isolated pillar of rock that
is separated from the
headland by sea.
DAWLISH WARREN STACK
OLD HARRY ROCKS HEADLAND SPIT
3. What coastal landforms can you indentify in the map extracts?

7. Landforms of erosion: Headlands and Bays
Headlands and bays form in area where there are alternating layers of hard rock
and soft rocks.
An example is Lulworth Cove in Dorset.
At Lulworth Cove the outer layer of hard rock is limestone.
The marine processes of hydraulic action, solution and abrasion have eroded
through this hard rock to soft clays and sands behind it.
As the clays and sands behind the limestone rock are less resistant to erosion, the
sea erodes sideways and backwards forming a bay in the soft rock.
The development of the bay was stopped when the sea had eroded back to the
layer of chalk, a hard rock which is resistant to erosion at the back of the bay.

8. REMEMBER LONGSHORE DRIFT CAN BE DESRCRIBED WITH A SIMPLE
LABLLED DIAGRAM
Deposition Landforms: Spit, Bars and Tombolos
A spit is a long narrow piece of land made of sand and shingle.
This feature is joined to the land at one end and projects out into the sea or across a
river estuary at the other end.
They are features of coastal deposition.
Spits are formed when the sea moves particles of sand along the coast in a zig zag
pattern.
This is called long shore drift.
The direction of long shore drift depends on the prevailing wind direction.
When the coastline suddenly changes direction, usually at a headland, the sand and
shingle continue to be moved along the coast out to sea building upwards and
outwards.
The spit cannot grow right across to the other side of the river due to the river
currents.
When the wind changes direction it causes the waves to change direction and this
can lead to the end of the spit forming a curved end as the material gets blown in a
different direction.
Salt marsh often develops behind the spit from the deposition of fine silt and mud.
An example of a spit is found at Dawlish Warren. The salt marsh behind the spit is a
nature reserve.
If a spit grows across a bay (that has no river feeding it) and connects to the other
side it is called a bar (For example, Slapton Sands).
If a spit joins the mainland to an offshore island it is called a tombolo (For example,
Chesil Beach)

9. DEPOSITIONAL LANDFORMS: Spits, Bars and Tombolos

10. WHEN DESCRIBING THE FORMATION OF COASTAL LANDFORMS MAKE SURE YOU SEQUENCE
THE FORMATION TO ACHIEVE THE HIGH GRADES
Landforms of erosion: Headland erosion
The sea attacks a crack in the headland.
Hydraulic action opens up the crack to form a cave.
Over time, the sea will erode the cave until it goes through the headland to form an
arch.
The roof of the arch will collapse as there is nothing to support it. This is because of
constant erosion and weathering.
This leaves a pillar of rock which has broken away from the headland called a stack.
Eventually, erosion will cause the stack to become a stump.
An example is Old Harry in Dorset.

11. Landforms of erosion: Wave cut platform
The sea moves against the case of the cliff, abrasion and hydraulic action will slowly
erode the base of the cliff.
The continuous erosion creates a wave-cut notch which begins at the high tide level
and ends at the low tide level.
As the erosion continues the wave-cut notch gets bigger. Overtime the overhang of
rocks above the notch will fall into the sea due to it not being able to support its own
weight and the pull of gravity.
The sea will then continue to attack the cliff and form another notch. In this way, the
cliff will retreat (move backwards), becoming higher and steeper.
The remains of the cliff rock, now below the sea at high tide, form a rocky, wave-cut
platform.

12. As the width of the wave-cut platform increases, the powers of the wave’s
decreases, as the waves have further to travel to reach the cliff.
Soft coastlines
Storm waves attack the base of
the cliff.
Cracks appear after dry
weather.
Rain soaks into cliff.
The cliff becomes increasingly
heavy and unstable.
Mass movement occurs along slipping planes (lines of weakness in the rock).
The cliff retreats (moves back) away from the sea.
The Holbeck Hotel near Scarborough on the Holderness Coastline is a case study.

13. PROTECTING THE COASTAL AREA FROM NATURAL PROCESSES
Over 4 billion people worldwide live in coastal areas, and they are also used heavily by industry.
There is a growing threat of flooding due to sea-level rise, and erosion is increasing. As a result,
many areas of coastline are now being protected. Coastal environments can provide unique
habitats for wildlife, and so the challenge is to find ways of balancing the competing needs of
people, wildlife and the environment.
Hold the line - maintain the existing coastline by building defences
Advance the line - build new defences seaward of the existing defences

14. Managed realignment - allow the land to flood, and construct a new line of defences landward of
the existing coastline
No intervention - allow natural processes to shape the land
The map below shows the policies set out for sub-cell 11c.
Hard Engeneering
Method of Protection how does it work? Advantages Disadvantages
Lipped sea wall
Concrete Wall, curved under the side to deflect the power of the waves.
Sea walls reflect rather than absorb wave energy
Most effective means of preventing erosion
Most expensive (up to £2.5 million / km)

15. Deflected waves often scour the base, undermining the wall (may eventually collapse)
Large boulders on the beach - lesson the force of the waves by absorbing the wave energy within
the gaps between the rocks
Relatively Cheap
Use natural materials / rocks
Environmentally ugly
Can be undermined and removed by waves due to washing away of sand and shingle beneath.
Cages of boulders built into the cliff face - small rocks help to absorb the wave energy
Effective where severe erosion and cheaper than sea walls
Environmentally ugly (usually used in large numbers
Wooden or concrete structures break the force of the waves and trap beach material behind them
Much cheaper than a sea wall
Effective at breaking the force of the waves
Less durable than a sea wall - may need replacing quicker
Don't give total protection to base of cliff
Environmentally ugly

16. Wooden or in some cases steel structures that stop longshore drift and build up / anchor the
beach, protecting the base of a cliff
Stops longshore drift encouraging the build up of the beach and effectively reducing erosion.
Can increase erosion further down coast by stopping longshore drift and starving areas further
down coast of sediment.
A Tale of two villages- North East Norfolk
LEARN A CASE STUDY OF A STREATCH OF COASTLINE THAT HAS BEEN MANAGED TO PROTECT
IT FROM THE SEA AND AN AREA WHERE NO PROTECTION HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO PREVENT
EROSION
So what are the existing defences at Sea Palling?
Following some of the worst storms in the history of the East Coast, a seawall was built at Sea
Palling in 1953 to protect inland areas from flooding. It was to work alongside a wide sandy beach,
which would absorb much of the power of the waves. However, by the 1990s, most of the beach
had been washed away so the seawall was being directly attacked by the waves during storms. In
order to protect the seawall, 100,000 tonnes of boulders were places in front of the sea wall as
rock armour. These were imported from Scandinavia. 1,000,000 cubic metres of sand were also
brought in and dumped on the beach (beach replenishment) and four offshore reefs were built
parallel to the coast using huge granite boulders. The offshore reefs break the waves before they
reach the beach and the absorb their energy. Sediment is trapped on their landward side, creating
a wide beach which is then very effective in absorbing wave energy. The reefs worked so well that
a second set was added later (to the south of Sea Palling). You can see the impact of the reefs in
building up the beach very clearly on an OS map or on an aerial photograph.

17. Happisburgh is a village with a population of about 1400 people in about 600 houses. This is one
of the fastest eroding coastlines in Europe, and thousands of tonnes of cliff material are washed
away every winter. It has been estimated that the Happisburgh cliffs are now retreating at a rate of
10-15 metres every year. More than 30 buildings have been lost so far.
In 1959, timber sea defences were constructed between Ostend and Cart Gap, including along the
front at Happisburgh. These were wooden revetments and groynes. They worked very well for a
number of years, but started failing in the 1980s due to lack of maintenance and repair. As a
result, the soft boulder clay cliffs took a severe battering from the waves. By 1989, North Norfolk
District Council identified the need for a major investment in new defences. Local government is
responsible for repairs and upkeep of sea defences, but any capital scheme such as renewal of
existing defences or creation of new ones requires the acceptance, approval and funding of
central government.

18. In 2000, the Ministry of Agriculture, Farming and Fisheries (the body in charge of coastal
defence at the time) agreed to fund a study of the coast between Ostend and Cart Gap to
investigate the coastal processes and if possible to develop a strategy to renew the defences. A
report and scheme was advertised in December 2001 recommending a 3-stage approach, starting
with the construction of a rock groyne at the south end of Beach Road. Objections were
received from Professor Clayton and Lord of the Manor Eric Couzens. Despite 325 letters of
support, it was not possible to progress the scheme until these objections had been resolved.
While the scheme was tied up in red tape at Whitehall, the sea continued its erosion at a rate far in
excess of any forecasts. The end result was that in December 2002 the scheme was withdrawn
as it no longer met financial or technical criteria. The diagram below shows the outline of the
scheme.
North Norfolk District Council recognised
that this was an emergency situation and
they provided funding for 4000 tonnes of
rock to be placed at the toe of the cliff as
rock armour to give some short term
protection. The Council emphasised that this
was only intended as a temporary
measure, and was not expected to
withstand anything other than normal
weather conditions.
The 2006 SMP proposes that Happisburgh is no longer protected from erosion. This is
partly because the financial costs of protection are very high in relation to the value of property in
the village, and partly because the eroded material from the cliffs at Happisburgh forms the beach
sediment that is so virtually needed to protect down drift locations from erosion.

19. Protecting the coastline: beach replishment
Beaches are a superb defence against storm waves and coastal erosion as they absorb the
power of the breaking waves. Having a wide beach can also protect from the threat of coastal
flooding.
Soft engineering is where beaches (or naturally formed materials) are used to control, reduce or
redirect erosion processes. Soft engineering options are often less expensive than hard
engineering options. They are usually also more long-term and sustainable, with less impact on
the environment, as they work with natural processes rather than against them.
Beach replenishment (sometimes called beach nourishment) is an example of soft
engineering. Beach replenishment means that sand is dumped or pumped from elsewhere onto
the beach.
Beach recycling is an attempt to even out the natural process of longshore drift. You could think
of it as being the opposite of long shore drift - sand and shingle is moved from areas where it has
built up from long shore drift and put back to its original position. It is most common for beach
recycling to happen after winter storms when large amounts of material have been moved by
natural processes.
Beach reprofiling happens where bulldozers are used to move material up the beach. After
storms, the upper beach levels can get very low because materials have been removed in the
wave backwash. Bulldozers are used to push material back up the beach to create gently sloping
profile. A gently sloping beach can absorb more wave energy than a steep beach, so it is a better
natural form of defence.
Using the Natural environment to help prevent flooding
Managed realignment (also known as managed retreat) means that the land is allowed to flood
until it reaches a new line of defence inland. This defence may be natural (eg. a ridge of higher
land) or built. This is shown in the animation below (wait until the 'Existing hard flood defences'
statement at the top of the list is highlighted in green for the start of the animation; the picture
changes to reflect the highlighted text on the right hand side of the image). Note that if there is no
natural ridge of earth, an earth bund may be constructed. This is a mound of earth that is built to
separate freshwater from saltwater.
Managed retreat is often the policy where existing sea defences are allowed to fail. The sea floods
the land behind the breached defences, but builds up its own natural defences such as mudflats,

20. marshes and beaches. This can only really work where population density is low and there is little
infrastructure to protect. It is seen as being a much more sustainable way of the managing the
coastline than using hard engineering methods. It can also be much cheaper than hard
engineering projects.
Managed retreat is well suited to low-lying, saltmarsh environments, for example the estuaries of
Essex and Suffolk. Over time, the broad tidal marshes will help absorb and reduce wave energy,
providing a low-cost coastal defence. They also enhance the ecosystem.
A problem with this form of management is that good quality agricultural land may be lost.
Settlements and property along the coastal strip may also be destroyed. Coastal blight occurs
where the price of properties in an area subject to managed retreat falls signficantly, meaning that
homeowners may find themselves in negative equity and unable to afford the cost of a move
inland. There have been reports of properties in the village of Happisburgh, North Norfolk being
valued at just £1 due to the policy of managed retreat being proposed for the area.
KEY WORDS
Sustainable management Management which meets the needs of the
present while preserving the area for future
generations.
Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) Management of the coastal zone to protect
areas from over development and
environmental damage. Was introduced by
the EU in 1996.
Coastal area/ zone The built-up area that stretches inland and
the shallow seas and marshes that border
the land. It is not just the point where the sea
meets the land.
Integrated management Management of the whole area/ system
rather than just parts of it.
Coastal flooding Storms and increased sea levels can lead to
submergence of coastal areas.
Salt marsh A natural habitat which lies between the sea
and land. It acts as a natural defence to
flooding.
Managed retreat Restoring salt marshes so that the land can
be used as a natural buffer from flooding,
therefore, protecting the land behind it.
Mediterranean A large area of water which borders
Southern Europe and Northern Africa.
UK England, Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland make up this country.

21. Remember if there is anything you need help with you can come and speak to Miss Nash
Or attend the revision club after school
If you would like additional help speak to Miss Nash and she will arrange a time to work with you.
GOOD LUCK
and
remember to read the question and think what the command word is asking you to do- look at the
number to marks they will tell you how many points you need to make.