Waves are generally larger in the southwest of the British Isles than the southeast due to larger fetch, or the distance over which wind can blow over open water to generate waves. Waves break when the wavelength reaches the sea floor, causing the bottom of the wave to slow down while the top continues forward. Coastal erosion processes include abrasion by materials carried in waves, hydraulic action as waves enter cracks and cause small explosions, and corrosion as acids in sea water dissolve rocks. These processes form landforms like headlands and bays, cliffs and wave-cut platforms, and over more time, caves, arches, stacks, and stumps.

1. Coastal Processes and Landforms

2. Why are waves generally larger in the south west than in the south east? Wave energy depends on the fetch , the strength of the wind and the length of time over which the wind has blown. Look at an atlas or a wall map to find out the largest fetch around the British Isles. fetch = the distance over which the wind has blown

3. Why do waves break? wavelength the bottom of the wave touches the sand, slows down and the top of the wave topples over

4. Backwash Swash Note: Backwash is always at right angles to the beach Swash and backwash

5. Types of waves Destructive Waves Constructive Waves backwash>swash swash>backwash

6. Attrition Hydraulic action Abrasion Corrosion Processes of erosion Processes of erosion

7. Attrition Material carried by the waves bump into each other and so are smoothed and broken down into smaller particles. Abrasion/Corrasion This is the process by which the coast is worn down by material carried by the waves. Waves throw these particles against the rock, sometimes at high velocity. Hydraulic action This process involves the force of water against the coast. The waves enter cracks (faults) in the coastline and compress the air within the crack. When the wave retreats, the air in the crack expands quickly causing a minor explosion. This process is repeated continuously. Corrosion This is the chemical action of sea water. The acids in the salt water slowly dissolve rocks on the coast. Limestone and chalk are particularly prone to this process.

8. Landforms of coastal erosion 1) Headlands and Bays 2) Cliffs and Wave Cut Platforms 3) Caves, Arches, Stacks and Stumps

9. An example of headlands and bays on the Dorset coastline … chalk clay limestone Swanage Bay

11. Wave-cut platform – Burgh Island, Devon

12. Caves, arches, stacks and stumps 1. The waves erode FAULTS (cracks) in the headland. 2. The waves eventually erode through the headland to form an ARCH . 3. The arch becomes unsupported and collapses to form a STACK . 4. A STUMP is formed from the collapsed stack. C D B A Match the image with the most appropriate label. 1 2 3 4

13. If these photos were taken of one headland over time, which of these landforms would be the first to be formed?

14. 1 2 3 4 This is a cave (‘Stair Hole’). This is an arch (‘Durdle Door’). This is a stack (Old Harry’s Rocks). These are stumps .