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Coastal Systems and Landscapes

Beaches, Spits and Bars

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 1

Overview

Recall questions on beaches, wave energy and beach profile, berms, how longshore drift builds and extends simple and compound spits, and on tombolos, offshore bars, barrier beaches and barrier islands.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

What is a berm?

Key term

What causes the recurved ends on compound spits?

Key term

Define a barrier beach.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Define a beach.

    Model answer

    An accumulation of sand, shingle or pebbles deposited by waves in the zone between low and high tide marks.

  2. 2

    How does wave energy affect beach profile and sediment type?

    Model answer

    High-energy conditions produce steep shingle beaches, while lower-energy conditions produce gently sloping sandy beaches.

  3. 3

    What is a berm?

    Model answer

    A ridge of sediment running parallel to the shoreline, marking the limit of swash at different tidal levels.

  4. 4

    Define a simple spit.

    Model answer

    A linear ridge of sand or shingle attached to the land at one end and extending into open water, formed by longshore drift.

  5. 5

    How does longshore drift contribute to spit growth?

    Model answer

    It continues to transport sediment in the original direction even after the coastline changes orientation.

  6. 6

    What happens to sediment when longshore drift carries it into deeper water?

    Model answer

    It is deposited as wave energy decreases, allowing the spit to accumulate and extend.

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AThe horns have less sand volume, so they move more quickly.
BSand is transported up the gentle windward slope via saltation.
CSand accumulates at the crest.

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Weathering means breakdown of rock in place.
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