Option B terms and definitions

Option B terms and definitions

Term                                         Definition

Advancing coasts                     Depositional coasts that are growing as a consequence of sediment
                                                 deposit and/or the infill of coastal marshes. Advancing coasts may also
                                                 arise from a negative change in sea level (sea level fall or uplift of                                                          land).

Exclusive economic zone        An area in which a coastal nation has sovereign rights over all the
(EEZ)                                       economic resources of the sea, seabed and subsoil, extending up to
                                                 200 nautical miles from the coast.

Littoral drift                             The movement of sediment along a coast by wave action; also called
                                                 longshore drift.

Oceanic conveyor belts            A global thermohaline circulation, driven by the formation and sinking
                                                 of deep water and responsible for the large flow of upper ocean water.

Retreating coasts                     Coasts along which the dominant processes are erosional, resulting in
                                                 the coastline moving inland. Retreating coasts may also be caused by a
                                                 positive change in sea level (sea level rise or a fall in land level).

Source: Diploma programme Geography guide. International Baccalaureate Organization 2009.