Coasts - The Sea

1. The sea is responsible for the wearing away of the land, due to the actions of the wind and waves.

2. Coastal erosion can result in whole towns and villages disappearing, especially when areas have soft cliffs and powerful waves.

3. Coasts are affected by tides, which are caused by the sun and the moon.

4. The sun and the moon pull things on Earth towards them due to the effect of gravity, thus creating tides.

5. At high tide, the sea comes further into the shore, whereas at low tide, much of the shore will be exposed.

6. Currents are continuous flows on the surface of, or underneath a body of water.

7. They can often be seen as very small waves, or ripples on the surface.

8. Currents may be caused by the wind, the rotation of the earth, the temperature or the gravitational pull of the moon.

9. When the wind moves over the sea’s surface, it creates waves.

10. The size of the waves depends on how far, how fast and how long the wind blows.

11. The world’s seas contain a wealth of different life forms.

12. They are filled with a wide variety of fish and other sea creatures, as well as a vast selection of different plants.

13. Many creatures are attracted to coastal waters because the shallower water allows sunlight to penetrate.

14. This helps plants to grow, providing a rich source of food for fish and other sea creatures.

15. There are many kinds of sea birds on the coast, such as terns, pelicans and oyster-catchers.

16. Large areas of kelp, a fast growing seaweed, can also be found at coasts.

17. The name seaweed covers a range of plants which grow in the sea.

18. Seaweed generally grows in coastal waters, since it needs both seawater and sunlight in order to thrive.

19. It is often found attached to rocks as it prefers something secure to root onto.

20. Rock pools are rocky pools filled with seawater, formed when a high tide washes over a rocky shore.

21. Crabs, limpets, mussels, starfish and sea urchins can all be found in rock pools.

22. Many of the plants and animals hide under rocks and seaweed when the tide is out so they don’t dry out.