Coastal Processes and Sediment Transport

The video explains the process of longshore drift, where eroded cliff material is moved along the coast by waves. A model demonstrates how waves transport sediment up and down the beach, showing the effects of swash and backwash. The video also covers how different particle sizes are moved and deposited, and the impact of engineered structures like groins on sediment transport. Seasonal changes and storms can drastically alter beach levels, with material being moved offshore and forming sandbars. These processes are natural and dynamic, affecting coastal features and beach management.

What is the primary process by which eroded cliff material is transported along the coast?

• Longshore drift

• River deposition

• Tidal waves

• Wind erosion

What is the term for the wave action that moves sediment up the beach at an angle?

• Swash

• Backwash

• Traction

• Saltation

Which process involves medium-sized particles being bounced along the beach?

• Traction

• Suspension

• Solution

• Saltation

What natural features are formed due to the deposition of materials along the coast?

• Caves

• Dunes

• Nesses and spits

• Cliffs

How do groins affect sediment transport along the coast?

• They remove sediment from the beach

• They interrupt sediment transport

• They have no effect

• They increase sediment transport

What happens to beach levels on the prevailing weather side of a groin?

• They increase

• They remain unchanged

• They disappear

• They decrease

What effect do seasonal storms have on previously deposited sediment?

• They stabilize it

• They move it in the opposite direction

• They bury it

• They have no effect

What can cause beach levels to drop by a meter or more overnight?

• Animal activity

• Tidal changes

• Powerful onshore waves during storms

• Human activity

Where does the material go when it is dragged offshore by high-energy waves?

• It evaporates

• It forms new land

• It is lost forever

• It collects in sandbars

Why do beaches not always look the same throughout the year?

• Human interference

• Animal activity

• Dynamic coastal processes and weather patterns

• Pollution