Case studies

You need a real, named UK coastal location. You must show how erosion, sediment movement, and deposition have shaped it.

Coastal systems and landscapes

Case studies

You need one detailed non-UK coastal case study. Use it to show how people face coastal risks, exploit opportunities, an

Coastal systems and landscapes

Case studies

Case studies are where you apply everything you have learned about coastal processes and management to real, named place

Coastal systems and landscapes

Coastal landscape development

Waves attack rock at the coast and slowly carve out distinctive landforms. Cliffs, wave-cut platforms, caves, arches, an

Coastal systems and landscapes

Coastal landscape development

Waves carry sand and sediment along the coast and drop it when they lose energy. This builds up distinctive landforms su

Coastal systems and landscapes

Coastal landscape development

Mudflats and saltmarshes form in sheltered estuaries where fine sediment settles and plants gradually colonise the mud.

Coastal systems and landscapes

Coastal landscape development

Sea level changes for three reasons: the volume of ocean water changes globally, the land itself rises or sinks, or tect

Coastal systems and landscapes

Coastal landscape development

When sea level falls relative to the land, old beaches and wave-cut platforms are left stranded above the water. When se

Coastal systems and landscapes

Coastal landscape development

Climate change raises sea levels and increases storm intensity. Both changes accelerate coastal erosion, flooding, and t

Coastal systems and landscapes

Coastal landscape development

Coastal landforms develop because specific processes act over time. The longer and more intensely a process operates, th

Coastal systems and landscapes

Coastal landscape development

Coastal landscapes are shaped over time by the combined action of erosion, deposition, and changes in sea level — the ri

Coastal systems and landscapes

Coastal management

Humans manage coastlines using two broad approaches. Hard engineering uses physical structures to resist wave energy. So

Coastal systems and landscapes

Coastal management

Sustainable coastal management treats the coastline as one connected system. Shoreline Management Plans and Integrated C

Coastal systems and landscapes

Coastal management

Where natural coastal processes meet human activity, decisions have to be made about how — and whether — to intervene. T

Coastal systems and landscapes

Coasts as natural systems

Geographers treat the coast as a system — a set of connected parts where energy and sediment constantly move in, through

Coastal systems and landscapes

Coasts as natural systems

A landform is a single physical feature, like a cliff or a spit. A landscape is the bigger picture — a group of related

Coastal systems and landscapes

Coasts as natural systems

Geographers treat the coast as an open system — a set of connected parts through which energy and material (such as sedi

Coastal systems and landscapes

Quantitative and qualitative skills

Coastal fieldwork uses three core skills. You observe and describe features, take numerical measurements, and plot data

Coastal systems and landscapes

Quantitative and qualitative skills

You take raw numbers collected at the coast and process them using statistical techniques. This turns scattered measurem

Coastal systems and landscapes

Quantitative and qualitative skills

Coastal fieldwork requires you to collect, present and interpret data using both quantitative skills — numerical measure

Coastal systems and landscapes

Systems and processes

Coasts receive energy from winds, waves, currents, and tides. The amount of energy arriving determines whether a coast e

Coastal systems and landscapes

Systems and processes

Coasts receive loose material — called sediment — from several sources. A sediment cell tracks where that material comes

Coastal systems and landscapes

Systems and processes

Waves erode coastlines through six distinct processes. Each process removes or wears down rock in a different way, from

Coastal systems and landscapes

Systems and processes

Waves and currents move loose sediment along the coast in three ways. The direction and distance of that movement determ

Coastal systems and landscapes

Systems and processes

Coasts are shaped by more than just waves. Weathering breaks down cliff rock from above, mass movement carries that brok

Coastal systems and landscapes

Systems and processes

Coastal landscapes are shaped by a set of interconnected processes — the forces that drive erosion (the wearing away of

Coastal systems and landscapes