Ways the Coast Is Affected By Erosion, Deposition and Transportation From the Sea.

Cuckmere Haven is an estuary at the point where the river of Cuckmere meets the sea. A gap is formed between the chalk cliffs to the east and west.

The famous "seven sisters" are located at east of Cuckmere Haven. This coast was a popular place because it is a perfect site to show long shore drift and affects of erosion on the cliffs that contain hard rocks and soft rocks.

This coast is a good place for our coursework because it has not been affected by tourist development therefore the place has stayed natural.

According to the book called:

"Longman Geography for GCSE (1997) written by Vincent Bruce"

At coasts we should be able to see wave cut notch caused by undercutting of the sea. The book also tells us that the higher the height of the beach means that the particles (pebbles) must be large and it will gradually get smaller as the height of the beach decreases.

Method

We examined coastal processes, which are erosion, transportation and deposition. We recorded measurements of wave height, frequency and direction and we examined evidence for long shore drift. We sampled pebbles and produced a beach profile.

Our first task was to take a field sketch of three different locations. We had to include title, detail of location, labels for features important for the study and the date. We did this so we had evidence to support our hypothesis.

The second task was to take measurement of waves arriving at the shore in five minutes and from the result we worked out the amount of waves arrived in a minute. The use of this result can help us to decide whether the waves at the time were destructive waves or constructive waves.

The third task was to measure the wave height. The way, in which to record the wave height is to have a person standing in the water, and at the point where the wave is about to break, the height is recorded. Again the evidence of constructive and destructive waves relies on this.

The fourth task was to workout the wave direction, wind direction and the wind speed. This will help us to support our term of long shore drift.

The fifth task was to find out how far a cork will move would move in 5 minutes and at what direction. If the cork travels, therefore this gives evidence of long shore drift.

The sixth task was to make a beach profile and record measurements. We first measured the length of the slope where the angle changes. Then clinometer is used to measure the angle of the slope. 10 pebbles are taken at random using a metre square and the sizes are recorded, measuring from the longest axis. The beach profiles shows how a beach is eroded and the pebble sizes show what part of the beach is getting eroded faster.