environmental geology 9

Breakwaters are commonly used in coastal engineering. What is the basic purpose of installing a breakwater?

- Create a quiet area to moor boats and reduce erosion

What is the problem with the use of beach groins?

- Down-drift areas will experience beach starvation

A general term for the coastal environment is

- Littoral zone

Which of the following occurs when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are in alignment (i.e., in opposition or conjunction)?

- Maximum tidal ranges occur

Tropical cyclones originate entirely within tropical air masses.

- True

Worldwide average salinity is _______.

- 3.5%

Why are longshore currents important in environmental geology?

- Cause the beach itself to migrate over time

From inland to the ocean, which sequence of zones is correct?

- Coast, backshore, foreshore, nearshore

Which of the following best describes the cause of ocean tides?

- Earth's spinning motion and gravitational effect of the Moon and Sun.

Hurricanes are a coastal hazard for all of the following reasons except

- Excessive beach development

Which part of a hurricane consists of dry, descending air?

- Eye

Although many elements are dissolved in seawater; no gases are dissolved in it.

- False

As the evaporation rate increases, salinity decreases.

- False

Brine water tends to occur near coastal deltas.

- False

Seawater is not a solution.

- False

Should you ever find yourself being swept out to sea in a rip current, it is important to immediately try to swim directly back to shore.

- False

The size of the contact area between the wind and water is called ______.

- Fetch

Brine water results from

- High evaporation rates

Hurricanes cause a regional rise in sea level (dome of water) that can result in a very dangerous phenomenon known as storm surge. What best explains the cause for this rise in sea level?

- High winds and lower air pressure within the storm

Tropical cyclones are called in ___ North America, ___ in China, and ___ in Australia.

- Hurricanes - Typhoons - Cyclones

Brackish water would be most likely to occur

- In a deltaic swamp

Beach nourishment is a common technique for minimizing shoreline retreat. Which of the following is a negative consequence of beach nourishment?

- Is costly and must be done periodically

Seawalls are commonly used to stop shoreline retreat. Which of the following is a negative consequence of building a seawall?

- Loss of the beach at high tide

The largest ocean in the world in terms of area is the ___ ocean and the smallest ocean in terms of area is the ___ ocean.

- Pacific - Arctic

List two types of wave breakers: ___ breakers occur at steep beaches and tend to be highly erosive at the shoreline, and ___ breakers occur at gentle slope beaches and are more gentle and may facilitate the deposition of sand on beaches.

- Plunging - Spilling

Currents out in the open ocean are primarily driven by which of the following?

- Prevailing winds and density differences of the water

The concentration of dissolved solids in the seawater is called_________.

- Salinity

Which of the following best describes leading edge shorelines?

- Steep slopes, irregular coastline, restricted beaches

About 2% of the oceanic mass comprise

- The mixing zone of blended solutes and temperatures

Which of the following is not true of tides?

- They are produced solely by the gravitational pull of the Sun

Mass wasting hazards are less likely to occur along trailing edge shorelines than along leading edge shorelines.

- True

The Moon's gravitational pull on the Earth is greater than that of the Sun's.

- True

What is meant by wave base?

- Water depth affected by a wave

Which of the following explains why longshore currents develop along shorelines?

- Wave Refraction

What is wave base a measure of?

- Wave energy

What best explains how surf forms along a shoreline?

- Waves beginning to drag on the seafloor and slowing down

What best describes why irregular shorelines evolve and become straighter over time?

- Waves erode headlands and deposit sediment in coves and bays

What is meant by the term surf zone?

- Zone of breaking waves

Which of the following is incorrectly matched?

- spring tides-high tides only