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The Coastal System

Open System
1. Inputs are received across the boundary of the system
2. Outputs are transferred across the boundary of the system
Inputs
1. Energy
  1. Drives the system
  2. Provided by
    1. Waves
    2. Winds
    3. Tides
    4. Currents
  3. Irregularly boosted by tidal waves
  4. Spatial variations, resulting from
    1. Strength in the wind
    2. Strength in the fetch
    3. Number of storms, and the intensity of these storms
  5. Temporal variations, come as a result of a seasonal, or daily scale
2. Sediment
  1. Provided in the system from the erosion of the coastlines
  2. Most sediment comes from outside the system
    1. Brought mainly from rivers transporting ranges of sediment from land to sea
    2. Weathering and mass-movement from cliff faces
3. Changes in sea levels
4. Human activites
Outputs
1. Coastal landforms, both erosive and depositional
2. Accumulations of sediment above the tidal limit
3. Loss of wave energy
Processes
1. Erosion
2. Constructive wave action
3. Longshore drift
  1. Main agent that relocates material
  2. Relocates material, from erosional coastlines, to where depositional landforms are constructive
4. The wind
  1. Wind can also carry materials from the shoreline inland

The Coastal System

	Created by Phoebe Fletcher about 9 years ago