Across
- 4. – a large hole in the cliff caused by waves forcing their way into cracks in the cliff face.
- 5. – the wearing away and removal of material by a moving force, such as a breaking wave.
- 8. – steel wire mesh filled with boulders used in coastal defences.
- 9. rapid mass movement which involves a whole segment of the cliff moving down-slope along a saturated shear-plane or line of weakness.
- 11. beach... – changing the profile or shape of the beach. It usually refers to the direct transfer of material from the lower to the upper beach or, occasionally, the transfer of sand down the dune face from crest to toe.
- 14. – a depositional landform formed when a finger of sediment extends from the shore out to sea, often at a river mouth. It usually has a curved end because of opposing winds and currents.
- 16. bar – where a bar forms offshore due to the action of breaking waves.
- 18. (or corrasion) – the wearing away of cliffs by sediment flung by breaking waves.
- 20. – erosion caused when rocks and boulders transported by waves bump into each other and break up into smaller pieces.
- 24. weathering – the decomposition (or rotting) of rock caused by a chemical change within that rock; sea water can cause chemical weathering of cliffs.
- 26. – moisture falling from the atmosphere as rain, hail, sleet or snow.
- 28. ...movement – the downhill movement of weathered material under the force of gravity.
- 29. ...cut platform – a rocky, level shelf at or around sea level representing the base of old, retreated cliffs.
- 30. ...engineering – the use of concrete and large artificial structures by civil engineers to defend land against natural erosion processes.
- 31. ...retreat – allowing cliff erosion to occur as nature taking its course: erosion in some areas, deposition in others. Benefits include less money spent and the creation of natural environments. It may involve setting back or realigning the shoreline and allowing the sea to flood areas that were previously protected by embankments and seawalls.
- 33. ...action – the process by which breaking waves compress pockets of air in cracks in a cliff. The pressure may cause the crack to widen, breaking off rock.
- 34. ...armour – large boulders dumped on the beach as part of the coastal defences.
- 35. – headlands lie between these. They are made of less resistant rock where the land has been eroded back by the sea.
- 36. ...weathering (also called frost-shattering) – it occurs in cold climates when temperatures are often around freezing point and where exposed rocks contain many cracks. Water enters the cracks during the warmer day and freezes during the colder night. As the water turns into ice it expands and exerts pressure on the surrounding rock, causing pieces to break off.
- 37. regeneration – action taken to build up dunes and increase vegetation to strengthen the dunes and prevent excessive coastal retreat. This includes the re-planting of marram grass to stabilise the dunes, as well as planting trees and providing boardwalks.
Down
- 1. – a wooden barrier built out into the sea to stop the longshore drift of sand and shingle, and so cause the beach to grow. It is used to build beaches to protect against cliff erosion and provide an important tourist amenity. However, by trapping sediment it deprives another area, down-drift, of new beach material.
- 2. – occurs when material being transported by the sea is dropped due to the sea losing energy.
- 3. – naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion.
- 6. occurs after periods of heavy rain when loose surface material becomes saturated and the extra weight causes the material to become unstable and move rapidly downhill, sometimes in an almost fluid state.
- 7. ...wall – a concrete wall which aims to prevent erosion of the coast by providing a barrier which reflects wave energy.
- 10. ...drift – the zigzag movement of sediment along a shore caused by waves going up the beach at an oblique angle (wash) and returning at right angles (backwash). This results in the gradual movement of beach materials along the coast.
- 12. ...engineering – managing erosion by working with natural processes to help restore beaches and coastal ecosystems.
- 13. – the zone of deposited material that extends from the low water line to the limit of storm waves. The beach or shore can be divided in the foreshore and the backshore.
- 15. – the area between the high tide and low tide mark.
- 17. beach .... – the addition of new material to a beach artificially, through the dumping of large amounts of sand or shingle.
- 19. – a wave-eroded passage through a small headland. This begins as a cave formed in the headland, which is gradually widened and deepened until it cuts through.
- 21. – an isolated pillar of rock left when the top of an arch has collapsed. Over time further erosion reduces the stack to a smaller, lower stump.
- 22. – ripples in the sea caused by the transfer of energy from the wind blowing over the surface of the sea. The largest waves are formed when winds are very strong, blow for lengthy periods and cross large expanses of water.
- 23. – where a spit grows across a bay, a bay bar can eventually enclose the bay to create a lagoon. Bars can also form offshore due to the action of breaking waves.
- 24. – a steep high rock face formed by weathering and erosion along the coastline.
- 25. ...dune – coastal sand hill above the high tide mark, shaped by wind action and covered with grasses and shrubs.
- 26. ...wind – the direction from which the wind usually blows. In the UK it is the southwest.
- 27. ...weathering – weathering processes that cause physical disintegration or break up of exposed rock without any change in the chemical composition of the rock, for instance freeze thaw.
- 32. ...Agency (EA) – the organisation responsible for tackling environmental threats like pollution and flooding in the UK. It is directly funded by the government.
- 33. – lie between bays of less resistant rock where the land has been eroded back by the sea.