levo

Coastal Landscapes

Constructive and destructive waves

  • 3 things to know
  • AS Unit 1

Overview

Swash of a wave, backwash of a wave and three characteristics of a constructive wave.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

How does a wave transfer energy without moving water forward in the open sea?

Key term

Why does a wave break as it approaches the shore?

Key term

Define the swash of a wave.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    How does a wave transfer energy without moving water forward in the open sea?

    Model answer

    Water particles move in a circular orbit as the wave passes, returning close to where they started, so the energy travels while the water largely stays put.

  2. 2

    Why does a wave break as it approaches the shore?

    Model answer

    The sea bed shallows and interferes with the base of the orbit, so the wave slows and steepens until the crest outruns the base and topples forward.

  3. 3

    Define the swash of a wave.

    Model answer

    The swash is the water rushing up the beach after a wave breaks.

  4. 4

    Define the backwash of a wave.

    Model answer

    The backwash is the water draining back down the beach under gravity after the swash.

  5. 5

    State three characteristics of a constructive wave.

    Model answer

    A low wave height, a long wavelength and a low frequency of about six to eight waves a minute, giving a strong swash and a weak backwash.

  6. 6

    State three characteristics of a destructive wave.

    Model answer

    A high wave height, a short wavelength and a high frequency of about thirteen to fifteen waves a minute, giving a weak swash and a strong backwash.

Other ways to work this

The same content, four other ways.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

The 3-step method, run for you

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

Coastal Landscapes
Glaciated Landscapes
Tectonic Hazards
Changing Places

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

Governments must win votes.
ruralurbanelite

Blank Blitz makes facts automatic

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AFew coastal people recognised the signs.
BThe coasts were densely populated.
CMany communities were struck with no notice at all.

Build It gets the exam shape right

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

The Mariana Trench reaches almost 11,000 m below sea level.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Every question in Coastal Landscapes, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.