Systems in Physical Geography

The systems approach is a way of analysing the relationships within a unit, for example a coast. it consists of a number of components and the linkages between them represented in a flow diagram.

The coast is an open system- it has inputs (energy in the form of waves, wind, tides and currents), stores/ components, flows/ transfers and outputs of both energy and matter, which cross the boundary of the system to the surrounding environment. The combination of all of these factors forms distinctive landscapes, which are made up of a range of erosional…