Chapter 15

The daily tidal range is GREATEST during ________ tide.

Spring

A sand ridge connecting an island to the mainland or to another island is a ________.

Tombolo

Why is it warmer in most of Europe than in northern California even though both are on the east side of an ocean and Europe is at higher latitude than California?

California is affected by a cold offshore current, whereas Europe has the warm north Atlantic current, the continuation of the Gulf Stream.

What type of tide occurs when the Sun, Moon, and Earth form a right triangle in space?

Neap

Because of the Coriolis effect, surface ocean currents are deflected to the ________ of their path of motion in the Northern Hemisphere.

Right

Which of the following is correct regarding a wave in the open ocean?

Water particles move in an almost circular path.

A flat, bench-like surface cut in rock along a coast is a ________.

Wave-cut platform

You are swimming with your buddies on a beach in the surf. You leave your cooler and supplies on the beach, and after a half hour you swim back to shore, but your stuff isn't there. You look along the beach and see your cooler 200 m down the beach. How did that happen?

You and your buddies were affected by the longshore current and drifted with it along the coast.

Anyone who has ever gone swimming in heavy surf will tell you that if a wave is about to crash over you, the best thing to do is dive down, under the wave. Why does this keep you from being swept up in the wave, like being in a washing machine?

You dive below the shoreward moving part of the elliptical particle motion of the wave.

Hurricane Sandy produced some of the greatest destruction along the New Jersey coast in communities situated along narrow strips of land between the beach and a coastal lagoon to the west. These communities were vulnerable because they were built on low-lying terrane of ________.

a barrier island

A spring tide occurs ________.

about 26 times per year, at every full and new moon

Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay are ________.

all of the above

The movement of sand parallel to the shore ________.

all of the above

Which of the following is designed to prevent or retard shoreline erosion?

all of these

Horn Island is a small island about 10 km offshore from Biloxi, Mississippi, that is about 20 km long and 1 km wide. What are features like Horn Island called?

barrier islands

The black sand beaches in Hawaii are comprised of ________.

fragments of basaltic volcanic rock

A sandbar that completely crosses a bay, sealing it off from the open ocean is a ________.

none of these

If you go to a beach in the continental United States and you are standing on a long, flat strand of sand, and you look away from the open ocean and see only a few low sand dunes and then a large, open waterway, where are you?

on a barrier island on the Florida Gulf Coast

The energy that drives surface ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream comes from ________.

prevailing winds

Describe the differences between a spring tide and a neap tide. How are each created?

Spring Tides When the moon is full or new, the gravitational pull of the moon and sun are combined. At these times, the high tides are very high and the low tides are very low. This is known as a spring high tide. Spring tides are especially strong tides (they do not have anything to do with the season Spring). They occur when the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon are in a line. The gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun both contribute to the tides. Spring tides occur during the full moon and the new moon. Neap Tides During the moon's quarter phases the sun and moon work at right angles, causing the bulges to cancel each other. The result is a smaller difference between high and low tides and is known as a neap tide. Neap tides are especially weak tides. They occur when the gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun are perpendicular to one another (with respect to the Earth). Neap tides occur during quarter moons.

Rip currents are dreaded by surf swimmers everywhere. The standard recommendation for swimmers is if you get caught in a rip current, swim parallel to the shore. Why?

The current is moving offshore but is confined, so by swimming parallel to shore you can swim out of the current.

Coastal California is famous for fog and smog (fog mixed with smoke). Why is the California coast foggy/smoggy, whereas Houston, Texas, which is at similar latitude, might get occasional smog from too many cars, but fog is relatively rare?

The ocean is warm off the Texas coast, but a cold current running offshore California generates fog when the cold, moist air is drawn ashore by a sea breeze

Describe at least 3 differences between waves, currents, and tides.

The primary differences between waves, currents, and tides are how they are formed. A wave is a result of wind acting upon the water's surface. A current is a result of the sun's heat warming the water at the equator and the cooler water flows under the warmer water and results in currents. A tide is the increasing and decreasing water levels created by the gravitational pulls of the sun and moon.

When prevailing winds blow from onshore to offshore, what generally happens?

The winds cause offshore surface water to flow away from shore, forcing deeper water to rise to the surface.

El Niño is a well-known weather phenomenon. In Ecuador and Peru, fisherman knew about the phenomena long before it was well known because their fishing would be very poor during El Niño conditions. Normally Peru and Ecuador have a remarkable fishery because there is a prominent upwelling along the coast which produces plantonic blooms that feed the entire ecosystem. This upwelling is driven by surface wind conditions. From your knowledge of currents and wind conditions, which of the following happens during El Niño conditions in this area?

The winds change from east to west (offshore flow) to onshore flow or weak winds during El Niño conditions.