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Factors affecting formation of a wave.

4 (a) How wind and fetch affect wave height?

(i) Fetch:
The longer the fetch the smaller the velocity required to generate a wave of the same height.
Hence a wave of 1m in height requires a wind speed of over 17m/s at 10 km but at a fetch of
100 km only a velocity of 8m/s.

Fetch allows a longer duration for wind to blow as waves are a product of friction produced
by the wind.

Other factors which might affect the form of a wave is:
Depth of sea:
The depth of sea; wave height increase as depth of sea decreases. For example the wave
is higher as it reaches the shore.

Shape of coastline:
A Discordant coastline:
On a discordant coastline, alternating layers of hard and soft rock are perpendicular to
the coast. As waves approach this type of coastline wave is refracted, where erosional
effect of the waves is concentrated on the headland, while wave energy is dispersed in
the bays, hence deposition tends to occur in the bays.












A Concordant coasts:
Concordant coasts have alternating layers of hard and soft rock that run parallel to the
coast. The hard rock acts as a protective barrier to the softer rock behind it preventing
erosion. If the hard rock is breached though, the softer rock is exposed and a cove can
form (e.g., Lulworth Cove).
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(b) How does wave action contribute to both erosion and deposition on
coasts?

High energy wave:
Wave action can be seen as occurring in high energy environments
characterized by high and frequent waves due to long fetch and high
winds. Here marine erosion will be dominant such as process of :
(i) Hydraulic action: the pressure of water hitting a cliff base and
the sudden release of energy which breaks down incoherent
rocks.
(ii) Wave quarrying: the entrapment of air in cracks, joints etc
and decompression as water retreats.
(iii) Abrasion: the result of materials carried by waves striking
cliff base giving rise to undercutting and notches.
(iv) Solution: Weak acids contained in sea water will dissolve
some types of rock such as chalk or limestone.
Examples of coastal landforms produced by wave erosion are
headland and wave-cut platform and formation of stack.
Headland and wave-cut platform:










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(ii) Stack and stump.


Low energy wave:
Conversely in low energy environments where there is a lower
frequency of waves more swash and less backwash then waves can
have constructive functions in building beaches and when associate
with Longshore drift that can bring about other sedimentary
landforms such as spits, bars, tombolo etc.
Features Spits Tombolo Bars
What is it? A ridge of sand and
shingle projecting
from the mainland
into the sea
A ridge of sand and
shingle joining the
mainland to an island
A ridge of sand and
shingle which has
joined two
headlands, cutting
off a bay
How does it
form?
When there is a break
in the coastline and
drop in energy,
longshore drift
deposited the material
and build up spit.
Formed when spit
continue to grow
outwards connecting
the mainland to the
offshore island just
like bridges
(a) form when a
spit grows the
whole way across a
bay

(b) a sandbank
develops offshore,
parallel to the shore
until it joins the
mainland
Examples Hurst Castle Spit Isle of Portland Slapton sands


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Coastal zones:
4. (a) Fig.2 shows a coastal zone with its tide and wave
environments.


The wave activities occurring in the breaker, surf and swash zones:
The breaker zone or line is the portion of the nearshore region in which waves arriving from offshore
become unstable and break.
The swash zone is the portion where the beach face is alternately covered by the run-up of the wave
swash and then exposed by the backwash.
The surf zone is the portion of the nearshore between the breaker line and swash zone. The surf zone
can have bore-like, breaking or broken waves propagating across it.
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Impact of these activities upon shape of backshore and nearshore zones:







































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