The Work of Waves and Wind

Objectives: Explain the characteristics of ocean waves and tides Present coastline features of erosion, transport and deposition Examine the processes of wind erosion and deposition Differentiate different types of dune Describe the wind deposit LOESS

COASTAL LANDFORMS
wave length crest trough particles in waves follow a circular pattern

wave height

At the shoreline
Water becomes shallow, wave height increases because wave length decreases Waves become steeper, then collapse (breakers)

 Surf - sequence of breaking waves Swash - water sliding up beach Backwash - water flowing back down beach to sea

Wave refraction
Close to coast, water gets more shallow Waves are slowed down If waves arrive at an angle, one part is slower than the rest Causes waves to bend = wave refraction

Wave refraction
Bay

Headland

 Waves arriving at bays are slow (deposition) At headlands, faster (erosion)

 A sequence of features is produced as headlands are degraded Sea cliffs Waves erode base undercutting

the cliff retreats

 Also produces
sea caves

As cliffs retreat produces a wavecut platform

 Headlands
may be eroded back leaving a remnant (stack)

stack

Longshore drift
Waves arrive at a coast at an angle (swash) Backwash returns at 90 degrees

Sand is moved along the beach = longshore drift or longshore current

Coastal deposition
Result of longshore drift and a lot of sediment = produces extensions of deposit from the shoreline

spit = curved extension

May grow across a bay (baymouth bar) May link an island to the main land (tombolo)

TIDES
Daily changes in sea levels
Tides rise (FLOOD) to produce a HIGH TIDE
And fall (EBB) (LOW TIDE) Produced by the gravitational pull that the Sun and Moon exert on the Earths surface (including the oceans)

Moon/ Sun

This side is pulled towards the Sun and/or Moon by gravitational attraction

This side bulges out because of inertia

Therefore, there are two high tides on Earth at any one time

Every 24 hours 50 minutes any point on the Earth rotates through two bulges
Each location experiences 2 high (FLOOD) tides and 2 low (EBB) tides

Types of Coastline
Submergence and emergence changes coastlines

Pocket beaches

Emergent coast
Uplifted land surface Coastal landforms are found above present sea level

a wave-cut platform when elevated uplifted marine terrace

Submergent coast
Rise in sea level Submergent coast Landforms under water A ria coastline is an example of submergence

Submergence Shorlines
Ria coast - shorline valleys eroded by rivers are submerged
has many offshore islands exposure to waves erodes islands and headlands

Fiord coast - shoreline valleys created by glaciers are submerged

valleys are deep and straight because of the depth, there are few beaches

Barrier Island Coasts

Occur on low lying coasts with gentle gradients BARRIER ISLANDS - low ridges of sand built by waves
behind the islands are lagoons shallow water with tidal deposits

TIDAL INLETS - gaps between the islands

Delta and Volcano Coasts

DELTA - deposit by rivers entering the sea Water slows down and spreads out as it enters Channel divides and subdivides to create DISTRIBUTARIES Volcano coasts develop in volcanic deposits Low cliffs form in fresh lava

Coral reefs
Corals build up calcium deposits to produce reefs To grow, corals need:
Clear, warm, shallow water Wave action

Corbis Digital Stock

Coral reefs
Fringing reef directly attached to an island or coast Barrier reef - lagoon between coast and reef Atoll reef - circular reef surrounding a lagoon (no land in centre)

AEOLIAN (Eolian) LANDSCAPES

Wind erosion, transport and deposition Occurs in dry regions, with little vegetation such as deserts and coastal landscapes

Wind Erosion
Faster the air flows, more erosion Erodes more rapidly if wind blows constantly from one direction 2 TYPES OF WIND EROSION
ABRASION and DEFLATION

DEFLATION HOLLOWS
Removal of fine particles by wind leaves hollows behind (DEFLATION HOLLOWS) Also leaves a surface of closely packed stones (DESERT PAVEMENT)

WIND TRANSPORTATION
- Very fine material may be carried in
suspension in the air

- But larger particles may be moved by 2 methods: SURFACE CREEP & SALTATION

1.) SURFACE CREEP

- material is rolled along the surface

- accounts for 20% of wind transport

2.) SALTATION - The asymmetrical bouncing of sand grains - Accounts for 80% of wind transport - Cause of shifting sand dunes

Aggradational land forms SAND SEAS (ERGS)

= only 25% of the world's deserts surface may be covered in RIPPLES

SAND DUNES are ridges of wind deposited sand

- Usually 3 to 15 metres high, but can reach 180 metres

- A continuously changing dune is ACTIVE

Corbis Digital Stock

The formation of dunes depends on:

- amount of sand - speed and direction of wind - occurrence of vegetation

Corbis Digital Stock

wind direction
BACKSLOPE crest
angle of repose

SLIPFACE

TYPES OF SAND DUNE 1.) BARCHAN - most common type - crescent-shaped

backslope
slip face
Wind direction

2.) PARABOLIC DUNES - crescent-shaped but with the concave side on the windward side - usually elongated - may develop in associated with deflation hollows

Wind direction

3.) TRANSVERSE DUNES low sand ridge at right angles to the wind direction may form because of large amounts of sand

wind

4.) LONGITUDINAL DUNES

low sand ridges parallel to the wind direction

may form because of a limited amount of sand also known as seif dunes

wind

LOESS
Finely textured sediment wind-blown long distances Wind-blown glacial debris formed large deposits

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