EXAM 3

Which of the following is a form of soft stabilization?

. Beach nourishment

Where is the calmest part of the storm?

eye

Albedo?

Ability of a surface to reflect light

Why do clouds form?

Air reaches its dew point and condenses

What is the difference between global warming and Climate change?

Global warming just talks about warming, Climate change describes all the effects of global warming.

When did the medeval warm period occur?

In the early thousands

Where are you most likely to see fog?

In the morning during times of high humidity b. Over lakes during the early spring c. Over lakes during the early fall d. On the windward sides of mountains

When do CO2 levels photosythesize?

In the summer time

What does the Coriolis force do?

It causes winds to deflect due to the Earth's rotation

Explain why coastal erosion rates vary along different U.S. coastlines?

Local conditions like rock type and the amount of sand on a beach. Southeastern United States have the highest erosion rates in the country. The lowest is on the California coastline.

Sand moving parallel to the shore, and offshore, is called________.

Longshore drift

Describe the weather conditions that create, maintain, and dissipate cyclones?

Low Pressure System over warm water.

. In which thunderstorm stage would you be most likely to see lightning?

Mature stage

In what part of the U.S. are tornados NOT commonly found?

Nevada

Which of the following gasses makes up the majority of atmosphere?

Nitrogen 78%

What drives the movement of wind?

Pressure differences

What is the "Managed Retreat Solution"?

Rethinking land uses and developing less of the coastal zone

Evaluate how human use of the coastal zone affects coastal processes?

River runoff and load Flow of fresh water and entrained materials to the coastal zone has been grossly altered by human activities. ... Either water loss or alteration of the seasonality of discharge can have major impact on coastal ecosystems. Human activities have also altered the patterns of sediment discharge.

What likely hazard would an extratropical cyclone bring to the Northeast United States in January?

Snow

Summarize the potential link between coastal processes and other natural hazards?

Storms, Flooding and Erosion Storms are one of the major hazards that are associated to coastal regions. Storms, flooding, and erosion are closely associated and can happen simultaneously. Tropical storms or Hurricanes especially can devastate coastal regions.

. True or False? Weather satellites can give information about the early signs of hurricane formation but can't show wind speed directly?

TRUE

True or False? A Nor'easter is a storm that moves along coastal waters, bringing storm surges to coast line cities and blizzard conditions to inland cities in the winter.

TRUE

True or False? A larger fetch will result in a larger storm surge?

TRUE

True or False? A tornado warning means that a tornado has been spotted and that people should take cover?

TRUE

True or False? All of the U.S. East Coast has some risk of hurricanes?

TRUE

True or False? Cyclones can dramatically increase the amount of coastal erosion that takes place?

TRUE

True or False? Cyclones spin in opposite directions in the Northern and Southern hemispheres due to the Coriolis effect.

TRUE

True or False? Extratropical cyclones are associated with both blizzards and thunderstorms?

TRUE

True or False? Most of the sand moves parallel to the shoreline due to longshore currents.

TRUE

True or False? Objects in the open ocean move around in circles due to waves, mostly returning to their original positions.

TRUE

True or False? People who have experienced hurricanes are usually more likely to take appropriate action than those who have not?

TRUE

True or False? The eye of the hurricane is an area of relative calm?

TRUE

True or False? Waves break when reach shallow water because their amplitude grows too large.

TRUE

True or False? West coast coastlines have more cliffs and rocky shorelines due to their proximity to active convergent and transform boundaries?

TRUE

Why are East Coast beaches wider and sandier in general than West Coast beaches?

The East Coast is not near a convergent plate boundary

Which of the following actions in a rotating storm will define it as a tornado?

The funnel cloud touches the ground

List the benefits derived from cyclones?

The rainfall generated out of cyclones can provide enormous benefits to the surrounding regions. We can get inches of rain each day... for days on end which is perfect for tropical flowers. It also loads up the soils with deep water stores - providing a great reserve for the next month.

Explain why it can be difficult to forecast cyclone behavior?

They are to forecast because they may encompass many different weather processes and generally far from shore.

What happens to waves when they reach the headlands of an irregular coastline?

They converge, They expend energy,Their wave heights increase,They erode the headlands.

Why are breakwaters NOT a perfect solution for saving beaches from eroding?

They increase erosion in the downdrift area

Which of the following is NOT true of tropical and extratropical Cyclones?

Tropical cyclones cause storm surges, but extratropical cyclones do not

In which part of the atmosphere are clouds found?

Troposphere

. True or False? The Coriolis effect has no effect on winds at the equator?

True

True or False? Energy is the ability to do work.

True

True or False? Fog is often found near bodies of water that are at different temperatures than the air around them?

True

True or False? Low pressure is associated with clouds and rainy conditions?

True

True or False? The wind is driven by differences in temperatures and pressures?

True

True or false: 16 O weighs less than 18 O because it has fewer particles?

True

True or false: The arctic has a big role in CO 2 levels?

True

At which stage of hurricane development does the hurricane get a name?

When the winds reach 63 km (39 mi) per hour

Which of the following has a low albedo?

Woodlands

How would you spot a rip current from the shore?

You could look for an area of calm surrounded by breaking waves

Rip current?

a relatively strong, narrow current flowing outward from the beach through the surf zone and presenting a hazard to swimmers.

True or False? Freezing rain is most likely to occur in the early fall because the ground is still too warm for snow to form?

False

True or False? Relative humidity describes how close the air is to being saturated?

False

. True or False? The Earth gets its energy from the Sun mostly through conduction.

False

What ratio does oxygen have?

16 O-18 O

The earth wobbles like a toy top. How long does one full circle take?

19 to 25 thousand years

Explain the different types of severe weather events?

A flood is defined as any high flow, overflow, or inundation by water that causes or threatens damage. Floods are caused or amplified by both weather- and human-related factors. Major weather factors include heavy or prolonged precipitation, snowmelt, thunderstorms, storm surges from hurricanes, and ice or debris jams. Hurricane development, however, is influenced by more than just sea surface temperature. How hurricanes develop also depends on how the local atmosphere responds to changes in local sea surface temperatures.Wildfires can be devastating for vegetation and humans. Very hot wildfires can destroy entire forest canopies and burn carbon stored in soils.Droughts are generally defined as lower than expected precipitation or depletion of water resources over an extended period.Earthquakes are usually caused when rock underground suddenly breaks along a fault. This sudden release of energy causes the seismic waves that make the ground shake. Tropical cyclones form only over warm ocean waters near the equator. To form a cyclone, warm, moist air over the ocean rises upward from near the surface.

What is storm surge?

A large increase in sea level

What is humidity?

A measure of how much water vapor there is in the air

Hindcasting?

A method of testing a mathematical model by using data from a past event

True or False? An F0 tornado is the most damaging on the Fujita Scale?

False

Cyclone

An area of low atmospheric pressure characterized by rotating winds that, in the Northern Hemisphere, circulate in a counterclockwise direction.

. What is a typhoon?

An tropical cyclone in the Western Pacific

At what depth do waves begin to slow down and "feel bottom"?

At depth equal to ½ wavelength

Managed Retreat?

Build back from beach

. If you placed a small boat in waves in the open ocean (NOT near the shoreline), what would the motion of the boat be?

Circular pattern staying mostly in the same place

Milankovitch cycle?

Climate cycles that occur over tens to hundreds of thousands of years, because of changes in Earth's orbit and tilt.

Discuss the role of plate tectonics influencing coastal zone morphology and process?

Coastal morphology around the globe is greatly influenced by plate tectonics, and there are major differences between a coast on the leading edge of a continent and near a plate boundary (such as the U.S. West Coast) and a more passive coastline far from a major plate boundary (such as the U.S. East Coast).

Which energy transfer process describes energy transferred from a hot pot to its handle?

Conduction

Which way do winds around a low pressure in the Northern Hemisphere blow?

Counterclockwise

Recognize linkages between cyclones and other natural hazards?

Cyclones are closely linked to coastal erosion,flooding,mass wasting, and other types of severe weather, such as tornadoes,severe thunderstorms,snowstorms, and blizzards.

. Which of the following cause coastal erosion?

Earthquakes,Tsunamis,Storm surge,and Landslides

What is latent heat?

Energy needed to cause a change in state

. True or False? Jetties and breakwaters are built parallel to the shore to protect harbor boats.

FALSE

True or False? Beach nourishment is often the easiest solution to an erosion problem because it needs no maintenance.

FALSE

True or False? Beach sand everywhere is the same color because it all comes from eroded ocean plate.

FALSE

True or False? Extratropical cyclones are rarer than tropical cyclones are, and one has not been seen in the U.S. in over 100 years.

FALSE

True or False? The main reason hurricanes dissipate when they make landfall is due to the increased friction of the land?

FALSE