Chapter 16 Oceans and Coastlines
Barrier beaches and islands occur worldwide, lying offshore of nearly ___________% of Earth's coastlines
10
Which of the following is true of the Earth's coastlines?
Most of the Earth's coastlines are relatively young and undergoing continuous change
Why are corals more prevalent on the east coasts of continents?
The water is warmer
Material deposited in a long ridge extending out from a coast is called a
barrier spit
When the height of a wave exceeds its vertical stability, the wave is called a
breaker
An atoll is approximately ________ in shape because it forms ________.
circular; around submerged volcanic islands
Areas in which the land is typically rising in relation to sea level are called
emergent coastlines
These features, here from Lake Michigan, disrupt sediment movement along a coast
groins
Mean sea level
is based on the average tidal levels recorded hourly at a given site over a period of many years
The height of a tsunami grows as it approaches a coastline primarily because
its wavelength shortens
When the Sun, Moon, and Earth are in alignment (i.e., in opposition or conjunction)
maximum tidal ranges occur
Which of the following is NOT responsible for changes in sea level?
melting sea ice
Increasing ocean acidification has been attributed to
ocean absorption of excess atmospheric carbon dioxide
A stony coral is a type of ________ that secretes ________ to form an organic rock home.
polyp; calcium carbonate
Within the deep cold zone, average temperature and salinity
remain fairly constant with depth
A ________ is created when the backwash of water produced by breakers flows to the ocean from the beach in a concentrated column.
rip current
Undercutting action of the sea results in
sea cliffs
On average, ocean water is
slightly basic (pH around 8)
In which of the following region would you expect to have the highest levels of seawater salinity?
subtropical oceans
Regular patterns of smooth, rounded waves are called
swells
A ________ is deposited sediment that connects a shoreline with an offshore island.
tombolo
Wave action works to straighten a coast as wave energy focuses around headlands and tends to disperse energy in coves and bays in a process called
wave refraction
The worldwide average salinity of seawater is
35%
Approximately what percentage of the United States' population lives in coastal areas?
53%
A major difference between a barrier island and a barrier spit is
a barrier spit is connected to the mainland, whereas a barrier island is not.
