Chapter 10 Practice Questions

How is an arch formed along a sea coast?

an arch formas when a sea cave breaks through a headland or where 2 sea caves coalesce as they a erode back due to wave action

Which way would dediment move if NO beach drift existed?

at an angle to shore

Beaches downcurrent from a groin tend to ______ because of the beach drift

erode

The pier-like structures are installed ______ to the shore

perpendicular

Why do beaches have lots of sand in the summer?

small waves move sand up the beach face and create a wide, sandy beach

Describe how an erosional OR depositional shore forms and the characteristic features of this type of shore.

Erosional shores forme when waves slowly erode the sides of places where tectonic uplift has occured. As waves erode the bottom portion of the cliff, the top part slowly staarts to stick out more and more, until it eventually breaks under its own weight and falls into the ocean. Characteristic featues of this type of shore include, wave-cut cliffs, sea caves, sea arches, sea stacks, and marine trerraces.

The purpose of the pier-like structures is to ______ __ ______ the beach and prevent erosion

maintain or widen

In the long term, what do beach drift and longshore currents do?

move sediment paralles to the shoreline

What is the longshore current?

water forced to move alont the shore by waves

How is a cave created in a clif face along a sea coast?

wave action erodes areas of wakness in rock in a sea cliff

The pier-like structures ______ sand that is moving paralles to the shore

trap

Why do beaches have very little sand in the winter?

Large waves move sand offshore onto longshore sandbars and create a rocky beach

What is an estuary? Which type of estuary is the Chesapeake Bay classified as?

An estuary is a body of waterthat is partially enclised by land and is open to the ocean. It is fed by freshwater rivers draining into it causing its salinity to decrease. There are 4 types of estuaries, coastal plain, fjord, bar-built, and tectonic. The Chesapeake Bay is a coastal plain estuary, meaning it was formed when sea levels rose and caused the nearby river valleys to be flooded forming and estuary.

What is the most obviouse difference between summertime and wintertime beaches

Summertime beachers have much more sand on the beach

The coastal wetlands of Louisiana are being lost promarily because of ______.

a combination of subsinance and rising sea level

Of the following types of estuaries, which one has a relatively shallow mouth but is often narrow, long, and extrememly deep?

a drowned glaicial valley called a fjord

How does a sea stack form?

a stack formes when a sea arch collapses, leaving a vertical column of rock offshore

A friend is considering purchasing a vacation home on a barrier island. Given what you've learned about the impact of waves on coastal landforms, what information and advice could you offer to your friend? a. A home on a barrier island is likely to take the full brunt of storm waves, making it a risky proposition. Your friend should think twice before purchasing b. Barrier islands tend to experience significant erosion and deposition of sand. Mitigating these effects is extremely difficuld and costly. Your friend would be wise to reconsider. c. barrier islands are stationary due to the constant addition and removal of sand balancing out. your friend should snap up the property quickly d. because the barrier is close to a larger landmass, it wil be more protected from storms and waves. Your friend should definitly make the purchase

a, b

You own a beachfront lot that has been experiencing erosion due to beach starvation. Your neighbor to the north (up-current) has the same problem, so he gets permission to build a groin just north of your property line. Your response would probably be to ______.

get permission to build a groun of your own near the southern boundary of your property

The New Jeresey shore is an example of a ______ ______

groin field

Important plants in a coastal wetland at 45 degrees north latitude are most likelly to be ______ and ______.

halophytic grasses, pickleweed

Normally beaches have the greatest amount of sand on te berm near the end of ______.

summer

How does the tide cycle affect erosion along a sea coast?

the tide cycle causes erosion to occur at different elecations along a sea coast

An isothermal temperature profile from surface to seafloor may exist in coastal ocean waters ______.

in either low-altitiude waters or high-latitude waters