Coastal Zone Management Test 1

William Morris Davis (1850-1934)

"Father of American Geomorphology" Founder of AAG First to provide reasons why landforms were created as opposed to "great biblical floods" established a simple erosion cycle consisting of youth, maturity, and old age.

Tropical Depression (lowest ranking)

0-38mph, ss 0 feet

UN Climate Report 5 Takeaways

1) Unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmo., ocean, and land. 2) Last decade was more likely than not warmer than any multi-centennial period after the last interglacial, roughly 125,000 years ago. 3) Human induced climate change is affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region around the globe. 4) Further warming- every region is projected to experience concurrent and multiple changes in climactic impact drivers 5) Global warming of 1.5-2C will be exceeded during the 21st century unless deep emission changes take place.

Category 3 Hurricane

111-130 mph, 9-12 feet of ss

Category 4 Hurricane

131-151 Mph, 13-18 feet of ss

According to NOAA, coastal areas include:

30 coastal states and 451 coastal counties (include those bordering the great lakes) coastal areas are organized into coastal counties for management purposes

From 1990-2008, population density increased by what % along the gulf and Atlantic coastal cities

32% in the gulf coastal cities and 17% in Atlantic coastal cities

How many states have coastal zone management plans?

34

Tropical Storm

39-73 mph

The Global Coastline is approximately:

440,000 km

What percentage of Earth's population lives in coastal zones?

70%

Category 1 Hurricane (Saffir Simpson Hurricane Scale)

74-95 mph, storm surge of 4-5 feet

Category 2 Hurricane

96-110 mph, 6-8 feet ss

Category 5 Hurricane

>155 Mph, ss 18 feet

Form due to:

Atmospheric Disturbance/conditions of instability (West coast of Africa for NA, up to Caribbean Sea and gulf= feeding ground due to high SST's) Fueled by water vapor rising from warm ocean water (water temp >80°F at a minimum depth of 160 feet). Warm SST's, wind converge and ascend, cloud formation=rain=stronger winds. winds outside steer it and let it grow. sustained winds of at least 74mph

"Danger Zone" of Hurricane Season

August 20-Sept 11

Typhoon Season (Japan)

August 20-Sept 11

Mid NorthEast coast is dominated by what kind of beach?

Barrier Beaches

Emergent

Coast emerged out of water because of uplift and/or sea level decrease marine terrace=prime example, often indicator

National Estuarine Research Reserve System

Created by the CZMA 28 estuary areas that are protected habitats used for research, education, and stewardship. 1.3 million acres of estuarine habitat protected

Dunes

Depositional buildup of sand sized sediment. trapped by driftwood and vegetation wave, and more importantly on shore wind action are the primary shapers of the dunes.

Beach Litter

Driftwood, rocks, shells, seaweed, etc.

Sea stack

Erosional landform, similar in appearance to a karst tower

How much wetland space is lost to open water every 30 mins

Every 30 mins, 1 football field of wetland space is lost to open water

Storm Surge

Hurricane= low pressure system that allows ocean water to rise to great heights . Largest dome of water= 50-100 miles wide can be more than 15 feet deep, especially if high tide is at the ss peak. debris can turn into a battering ram

Types of Tropical Cyclones

Hurricanes= NA Typhoons= Japan Cyclones= Indonesia, Australia, East African Coast

Which classification system is most commonly used?

Imman and Nordstrom (1971). Based on tectonics

Hurricane Season

June 1-November 30

Mauna Loa

Largest volcano in the world Shield Volcano

Sand Spits

Linear deposit (narrow and elongated) attached to the mainland at one end. Demonstrates the direction of dominant longshore current and can be found in both erosional and depositional environments. Typical to find wetlands between the split and the body of water behind it

Ex. of Divergent Plate Boundary

Mid-Atlantic Ridge. runs through Iceland- hot springs and energy production

What are the three most vulnerable coastal cities in the U.S. (ranked in order)

NYC (1), New Orleans (2), Miami (3) based on population size, location, and economic activity

NY Bight

NYC sits at a unique coastal angle (near 90°). If a storm was to hit this angle just right, every facet of it would be bolstered tremendously

Convergent:

Oceanic into continental: oceanic subducts Oceanic into Oceanic: one subducts into asthenosphere, often causing eruptions. These boundaries are often the deepest parts of the ocean (ex. Peru Chile Trench) Continental into continental

FEMA definition for coastal county

One that has a coastline bordering the open ocean of or great lakes coasts (or associated sheltered water bodies), or contains velocity zones (v zones) or coastal high hazard areas v zones are areas where wave heights more than 3 feet and/or high velocity water can cause structural damage in a 100 year flood, a flood with a 1% chance of occurring or being exceeded in a given year.

Continental Shelf

Portion of earth that consists of continental crust submerged under ocean water East Coast= wide continental shelf West Coast= thin continental shelf

Which direction does the longshore current travel on the East Coast of NA?

Predominantly Northward

What beaches dominate the NE coast of NA?

Rocky beaches

Depositional Landforms

Sand dunes, beaches, sand spit, sand bar, tombolo, coastal lagoon

Tombolo

Sand that joins rocky areas, sea stack, with headlands

Erosional Landforms

Sea caves, pocket beaches, headlands, blowholes, sea stacks, eave cut platforms (silty)

Heavy Rains

Severe flooding 6-12 inches of rain or more inland flooding is the primary cause of fatalities over the last 30 years

Coastal Zone

The land that is impacted by the ocean, wave action, coastal storms, sea spray. Can include rivers that empty out in the ocean.

When did studies of the coastal zone become widespread?

These studies have been widespread for the last 4 decades

Alsea Bay Oregon Case Study

Waldport Oregon Growing since 1939 sandspits and dunes have been stabilized by European Dune Grass, however it has seen drastic seasonal change (ex. el nino winter of 1997-1998)

Wind damage

Wind itself and debris carried by wind. begins well before landfall Can be exacerbated if a storm stalls over a location

Type of Tropical cyclone depends on location:

Wind patterns, coriolis, ocean current strength, rotate counterclockwise in NH and Clockwise in SH

Salt Marsh

a low energy environment where deposition exceeds erosion

Beaches:

by definition, exposed deposit of loose sediment adjacent to a body of water sediment size ranges from fine sand-large cobbles. usually homogenous in size in a particular area Most widespread marine depositional feature

Eye

calm center of the hurricane because it is the site where the winds are rising

Hurricane Ida

category 4 at landfall storm surge was roughly the same in the city as Katrina Southern Delta (Port Fourchon) was devastated fueled by extremely high sst's that extended deep into gulf- no upwelling Poverty and strife= reason people did not evac no levees failed in the city Had the second lowest central pressure to hit Louisiana

Coasts are influenced by

climate (temp, rainfall, etc.), tectonics, global sea level change (SLΔ), Storms, Maritime and continental geomorphic processes

Foreshore

consists of recreational beach area and shallow water before sandbar. Zone of wave action because of high water line

Offshore Area

consists of seasonal sandbars, (marks the offshore from the foreshore)

convective cells

drive magma up to the surface, push plates apart, and create new plate material

What takes place during the winter on most beaches?

due to changing wave shape and more storm activity, sand is taken and deposited on offshore sandbars. Provides better surfing & larger waves

Continental Margins

edges of continents, transition zones. Contain continental shelf, cont. slope, and cont. rise

Factors controlling coastal sediment balance

energy imparted to env., sediment availability, human impact

Bulkhead

erosion feature "wooden wall"

What benefits do dunes provide

erosion protection (used to achieve legislation in the 90's and 00's) diverse habitat aesthetics storm protection

Submergent

ex. Aegean Sea (drowned river valley)

CZMA of 1972

focused on the development, restoration, and preservation of the nations coastal resources

Association of American Geography

founded by William Morris Davis. Geologic conference/association for research development and collaboration.

Estuary

fresh and saltwater mix. popular breeding ground among many sea creatures

Volcano Alert Levels (USGS)

green= normal yellow= advisory orange= watch red= warning

Hurricane Nicholas Current Event

landfall on Texas coast as a cat. 1, hit Western Louisiana

Shoreline

line of intersection between water and land. Always change can be both an exact line and conceptual

Asthenosphere

molten rock and magma

Backdunes

more stabilized when compared to the foredunes

Berm

most prevalent in the winter because of high wave action Marked by high water level

Lō`ihi

only known active Hawaiian Submarine Volcano

What percentage of US economic productivity is within the coastal zone?

over 50%

Science Article

over 50% of young people are worried about climate change. 27% are extremely worried, 32% are very worried, 25% are moderately worried, 11% little worried, 5% not worried. Top emotions= sad, afraid, anxious, angry, powerless, guilty, optimistic.

Longshore Current

parallel moving current along coastlines that is responsible for seasonal variations in sandbars

What factors dictate the growth rate and shape of dunes?

rate of aeolian transport Available source of sand patterns of erosion and deposition wind flow characteristics

Contraflow

reverse direction of highways (all lanes going outward)

Eye wall

strongest part, especially in the NE Quadrant

Lithosphere

surface, soil and rock

What takes place during the summer on most beaches?

the sand used to create the sandbars in the winter is reapplied to the mainland, making the ocean floor more flat (lack of sandbars)

Ecotone

transitional ecosystem/area of 2 ecological communities

Foredunes

typically in flux

Backshore

wave action during storms, especially winter

Kilauea

youngest volcano in the chain. recently reached orange level (alert level)

How many people visit America's coasts every year?

~180 million