2+Coastal+environments

These are ** //KEYWORDS// ** which you should use wherever possible
** erosion ** The wearing down of the land by water, ice, wind and gravity. ** impermeable ** Rocks that do not allow water to pass through them. **mass-moveme n ** ** t ** The movement of weathered rock downslope without the direct action of running water. weathering The chemical alteration and physical breakdown of rock in situ.
 * biodiversity ** The variety of species in an ecosystem.
 * ecosystem ** An organic community of plants and animals interacting with their environment.
 * hard engineering ** The use of concrete and large artificial structures by civil engineers to defend land against natural erosion processes.
 * longshore drift ** The movement of loose materials along a coastline by wave action because they break at an oblique angle to the shore.
 * sea level change ** The rise or fall in the average level of the sea over long periods of time. This acts as a base level for natural erosion.
 * sub-aerial processes ** The general re-shaping of the land by normal atmospheric processes, for example wind and rain. It includes weathering, mass movement, erosion and deposition.
 * wave-cut platform ** A rocky, level area at or around sea level representing the base of old and now retreated cliffs.

Just popped this here until I know where I want it to go! media type="custom" key="4014883" Another useful animation to use later: media type="file" key="coasts.swf" width="540" height="540"

**Key questions** 1. What are the processes by which water helps to shape the coastal landscape? 2. How are the main coastal features formed? 3. What are the different kinds of coastal ecosystems? What factors affect their distribution? 4. What is human intervention is affecting coastal ecosystems?[Case study of a mangrove or coral reef and its management] 5. What do the different interest groups want from our coastline? [ Case study of a stretch of coastline under pressure] 6. What are the ways of dealing with changing coastlines? [ Case study of a stretch of retreating coastline] 7. What can we measure to find out about coastlines and how do we do it? 8. Fieldwork activity