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Year 10
Edexcel B

The effect of human activities on coastal landscapes

I can understand the effect of human activities on the coast.

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Year 10
Edexcel B

The effect of human activities on coastal landscapes

I can understand the effect of human activities on the coast.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A variety of human activities take place at the coast (development, agriculture, industry and coastal management).
  2. Human activities can have direct effects on coastal landscapes.
  3. Human activities can have indirect effects on coastal landscapes.

Keywords

  • Development - construction of infrastructure such as roads, houses and tourist areas

  • Erosion - the wearing away of rocks along the coastline

  • Habitat - the place where organisms live

Common misconception

Indirect effects of human activities are less important than direct effects.

Indirect effects of human activities at the coast have very significant effects: for example, rising sea levels as a result of global warming are an indirect effect with globally important impacts.


To help you plan your year 10 geography lesson on: The effect of human activities on coastal landscapes, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Students could study an OS map of a specific area and identify human activity taking place along the coast and research the direct and indirect impacts for the specific coastal landscape.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the statements is an example of an indirect effect of human activity on coastal landscapes?
Clearing of land to build hotels.
Litter left on coastal pathways.
Correct answer: Rise in sea levels.
Use of groynes to protect coastlines.
Factories disposing of waste materials in the sea.
Q2.
Define longshore drift.
Correct answer: Movement of sediment along the coast by waves approaching the beach at an angle.
Waves eroding the base of a cliff.
Deposition of sediment along the coastline, creating landforms like bars.
Formation of a spit and salt marsh.
Q3.
Select the word that matches this definition: 'the wearing away and removal of rocks along the coastline'.
deposition
transportation
solution
Correct answer: erosion
weathering
Q4.
Match the process with the correct definition.
Correct Answer:Physical weathering,Water freezes in cracks, expands, and fractures rocks repeatedly.
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Water freezes in cracks, expands, and fractures rocks repeatedly.

Correct Answer:Biological weathering,Living organisms, like roots, break down rocks and minerals.
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Living organisms, like roots, break down rocks and minerals.

Correct Answer:Chemical weathering,Alters rocks' minerals through chemical reactions, like acid rain.
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Alters rocks' minerals through chemical reactions, like acid rain.

Correct Answer:Landslide,Rapid descent of rock and soil down a slope, often triggered by rain.
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Rapid descent of rock and soil down a slope, often triggered by rain.

Correct Answer:Rockfall,Sudden drop of rock from a cliff or steep slope due to gravity.
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Sudden drop of rock from a cliff or steep slope due to gravity.

Correct Answer:Slumping,Rapid downward movement of soil and rock along a curved surface.
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Rapid downward movement of soil and rock along a curved surface.

Q5.
Which of these statements describe direct impacts of industry on coastal landscapes?
An image in a quiz
Industries create jobs for local people in coastal areas.
Correct answer: Industries may discharge pollutants that contaminate coastal water.
Industries may bring more investment into coastal areas by attracting suppliers.
Correct answer: Sea defences protecting industries on the coast alter sediment transportation.
Correct answer: Constructing industries requires natural coastal habitats to be cleared.
Q6.
The long-term rise in Earth's average temperature due to human activity is known as global and is caused by the enhanced greenhouse effect.
Correct Answer: warming, heating

Exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
What keyword does this description describe: construction of infrastructure such as roads, houses and tourist areas?
Correct Answer: Development
Q2.
Which of these is a term for when beaches further down the coast do not get as much sediment due to sediment transfers being interrupted?
Deposition
Longshore drift
Correct answer: Sediment starvation
Erosion
Q3.
Which of the following can cause algal blooms in coastal waters?
Litter from tourists.
Recycling from local councils.
High river flow after a period of heavy rain.
Correct answer: Run off of fertilisers from farms.
Q4.
What does it mean when human activity has an indirect effect on coastal landscapes?
It implies human actions are the sole cause of coastal erosion and flooding.
It means that human activities only harm marine life without affecting coasts.
It indicates that human actions only affect land, not coastal areas.
It means humans protect coastlines by building sea walls.
Correct answer: When humans affect other systems that then go on to have an impact on the coast.