This mini-lesson covers A2 1 Option C - Dynamic Coastal Environments: coastal processes and features, regional coastlines of submergence and emergence and the threat of rising sea levels, and coastal management and sustainability (hard and soft engineering, EIA, CBA, sediment cells and Shoreline Management Plans).
This is one of four A2 1 options; you study two. Answer each question to unlock the next screen. Press Start.
Coastal processes and features
Waves, erosion and transport
Waves shape the coast through wave action, refraction, erosion and transport. Swash-aligned coasts face the waves head-on; drift-aligned coasts move sediment along by longshore drift.
High-energy coasts (erosion) create headlands, cliffs, arches, stacks and stumps.
Low-energy coasts (deposition) create beaches, dunes, spits, tombolos and bars.
Wave refraction concentrates energy on headlands and disperses it in bays, driving differential erosion.
Quick check
Refraction and headlands
?Why does wave refraction cause headlands to erode faster than adjacent bays?
Calculate
Calculate — cliff recession rate
1A cliff has retreated 60 m over 40 years. Calculate the mean annual recession rate.
m/yr
Hint: recession rate = 60 ÷ 40.
Calculate
Calculate — spit sediment supply
2Longshore drift moves 18 000 m³ of sediment past a point in 3 years. Calculate the mean annual sediment transport.
m³/yr
Hint: 18 000 ÷ 3.
Regional coastlines
Submergence, emergence and sea-level rise
Sea level changes over time. Eustatic change is a global change in sea level; isostatic change is local land rising or sinking (for example after ice melts).
Coasts of submergence (sea rises relative to land): fjords and rias (drowned valleys).
Coasts of emergence (land rises relative to sea): raised beaches and relict landforms.
CCEA requires a regional or national study of a coastline threatened by sea-level rise in an LEDC (for example Kiribati), treated qualitatively.
Sort it
Sort the coastal strategy
Tap a term, then tap its category.
🧱 Hard engineering
🏖️ Soft engineering
🌊 Coastal process
Quick check
Eustatic vs isostatic
?Melting ice sheets add water to the oceans worldwide. This is an example of:
Coastal management
Engineering and management tools
Coastal management balances protection, cost and sustainability using Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), sediment cells and Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs).
Hard engineering - sea walls, revetments, rip-rap, gabions, groynes. Effective but costly and can worsen erosion downdrift.
Soft engineering - beach nourishment, dune regeneration, managed retreat. Cheaper and more sustainable, working with natural processes.
CCEA uses a regional case study employing both hard and soft strategies (for example South Devon and Dorset), evaluated qualitatively.
Match it
Match the coastal landform
Tap an item on the left, then its matching partner on the right.
Landform
Origin
Quick check
Groyne side-effect
?Building groynes to trap sediment on one beach often causes what problem further along the coast?
Quick check
Managed retreat
?Managed retreat is considered a sustainable option because it: