Deck 7: Waves and Tides

Question 1

Constructive interference in waves can cause .

A) an occasional wave greater than any noted before or after its occurrence
B) every other wave to be larger or smaller than those preceding or following
C) waves to get smaller within 24 hours
D) waves to double in height every 24 hours

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The uninterrupted distance over which the wind blows without change in direction is the .

A) fetch
B) wavelength
C) wind length
D) wind cell

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Waves at the shore will start to break when the .

A) water depth is about twice the wavelength
B) crest flattens into a rounded form
C) wave period increases to 15 seconds
D) wave height to water depth ratio is 3:4

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Water particles in a deep-water wave .

A) move rapidly toward the shore
B) move in circular orbits
C) do not move; only the wave form moves
D) move in flat elliptical circles

Question 5

When multiple wave trains meet in the ocean, constructive interference can occur, resulting in .

A) waves with short crests and troughs
B) waves with very large crests and troughs
C) waves that cause high amounts of property damage
D) a rogue wave

Question 6

Rogue waves are best described as .

A) the highest waves of a tsunami
B) a breaking internal wave
C) a strong rocking motion within a harbor
D) a single massive wave that develops in the open ocean

Question 7

The abrupt bulge of water driven ashore by a tropical cyclone is called a .

A) tidal wave
B) tsunami
C) storm surge
D) rogue wave

Question 8

In shallow water, the motion of water particles .

A) ceases completely
B) forms large circular orbits
C) becomes a back-and-forth motion near the bottom
D) becomes an up-and-down motion near the bottom

Question 9

In the open sea, tsunami waves .

A) have a much shorter wave height than they do when they reach the shore
B) have a much larger wave height than they do when they reach the shore
C) have a very short wave period
D) frequently destroy ships that pass over them

Question 10

As the wind velocity increases during a storm, .

A) the wave height increases
B) the wave velocity decreases
C) the wind tends to flatten the ocean surface
D) wavelength decreases

Question 11

Near shore, waves with a wavelength of 200 feet will " feel "  bottom when the depth is about .

A) 20 feet
B) 50 feet
C) 100 feet
D) 200 feet

Question 12

The distance measured from trough to trough or crest to crest of a wave is called the .

A) wavelength
B) wave height
C) wave period
D) orbit

Question 13

Waves tend to be parallel to the shore when they break due to the process of .

A) diffraction
B) reflection
C) refraction
D) reaction

Question 14

Most characteristics of ocean waves depend on the relationship between their .

A) water depth and trough
B) wave height and wavelength
C) water depth and wave height
D) wavelength and water depth

Question 15

When a tsunami reaches shore, .

A) the wave height greatly increases
B) the wave period greatly decreases
C) the wave will appear as a single huge breaking wave
D) it will always race hundreds of meters inland

Question 16

A disturbing force for tides is .

A) faulting of the seafloor
B) wind
C) gravitational attraction
D) storm surge

Question 17

The first waves to form on the ocean surface when the wind starts to blow are .

A) gravity waves
B) internal waves
C) swell
D) capillary waves

Question 18

The period of wind waves is usually expressed in .

A) feet or meters
B) miles per hour, or kilometers per hour
C) seconds
D) feet or meters per hour

Question 19

A is a gravity wave formed by the transfer of wind energy into the water.

A) swell
B) tide
C) wind wave
D) tsunami

Question 20

When waves approach the shore, a series of changes takes place. One change is that the .

A) wave crest becomes peaked
B) wavelength increases
C) wave height decreases
D) wave velocity increases

Question 21

The type of tide associated with the full and new moons are .

A) neap tides
B) spring tides
C) diurnal tides
D) tidal currents

Question 22

A wave first begins to break against the shore when the ratio of wave height to water depth is about 1:2.

Question 23

Tsunami or seismic sea waves are often generated by .

A) storms at sea
B) tidal currents in the open sea
C) breaking internal waves
D) coastal or submarine earthquakes

Question 24

Which statement best characterizes neap tides?

A) Neap tides occur when the moon, Earth, and sun form a right angle.
B) Neap tides represent extreme tidal ranges.
C) Neap tides occur at the new and full moons every month.
D) Neap tides correspond with the timing of spring tides.

Question 25

When the sun, moon, and Earth are all in a line, the .

A) gravitational attraction will be less
B) difference between high and low tides will be minimal
C) arrival of high tide will be delayed
D) highest high and lowest low tides will occur

Question 26

Swell is the result of wave separation or dispersion.

Question 27

A tsunami is a shallow water wave that moves at high speeds.

Question 28

What is fetch and how does it influence wind wave development?

Question 29

For a wave, the longer the wavelength, the faster the wave energy will move through the water.

Question 30

The energy that causes ocean waves to form is called a disturbing force.

Question 31

The primary forces that cause tides in the sea are .

A) coastal earthquakes and landslides
B) wind and storms at sea
C) the gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun
D) the gravitational attraction of Mars and Venus

Question 32

Describe how a wave breaks on the shore as it transitions from a deep-water wave to a shallow-water wave.

Question 33

What is a storm surge and how does it differ from a breaking wind wave?

Question 34

The longest of all ocean waves are called .

A) tsunami
B) tides
C) storm surge
D) wind wave

Question 35

What is the relationship between the wave crest, trough, height and wavelength?

Question 36

Who developed the gravitational model of tides known as the equilibrium theory?

A) Laplace
B) Newton
C) Einstein
D) Cook

Question 37

Describe how a tsunami is formed and how it can travel great distances at great speeds.

Question 38

The wavelength of a wave is a measure of the highest part of the wave above the average water level.

Question 39

Tides caused by the inertia and the gravitational force of the sun and moon are called .

A) neap tides
B) astronomical tides
C) tidal surge
D) meteorological tides

Question 40

Internal waves commonly form at the base of the pycnocline.

Question 41

The zero point on a tide graph is called the .

A) slack water point
B) mean sea level point
C) node point
D) tidal datum

Question 42

The tidal pattern characteristic of the west coast of the United States is .

A) mixed tides
B) diurnal tides
C) reversing tides
D) amphidromic tides

Question 43

A steep wave moving upstream generated by the action of the tide crest in the enclosed area of a river mouth is called a .

A) tidal node
B) tidal wave
C) tidal surge
D) tidal current

Question 44

A neap tide has a the highest high tides and the lowest low tides.

Question 45

In the Northern Hemisphere, spring tides have greater ranges in the winter than they do in the summer.

Question 46

A tide pattern of one high and one low each day describes a .

A) diurnal tide
B) mixed tide
C) solar tide
D) semidiurnal tide

Question 47

The side of Earth facing the moon will experience a high tide, while the opposite side of Earth will have a .

A) low tide
B) time of no tidal action
C) high tide also
D) tide that cannot be predicted

Question 48

Which statement is true concerning a lunar day?

A) A lunar day is shorter than a solar day.
B) A lunar day represents the time between when the moon is highest in the sky and the next time it is highest in the sky.
C) A lunar day is 26 hours.
D) Because of the length of a lunar day, lunar tides usually arrive 30 minutes earlier each day.

Question 49

Tidal bores usually occur .

A) in river inlets or long narrow bays
B) in open ocean far from land
C) around islands
D) in enclosed basins such as the Mediterranean

Question 50

Which statement is true concerning the equilibrium theory of tides?

A) The theory assumes that the seafloor greatly influence tides.
B) The theory states that the surface of the ocean cannot conform to the combination of forces acting on it.
C) The theory presumes that the ocean conforms instantly to the forces that affect the position of its surface.
D) The theory presumes that the ocean surface is never in equilibrium with the forces acting on it.

Question 51

Slack water occurs .

A) at high tide
B) at low tide
C) when the current is changing direction
D) when water starts rushing out

Question 52

A low tide corresponds to the trough of the wave.

Question 53

An amphidromic point is a .

A) no tide point in the ocean around which the tide crest rotates through one tidal cycle
B) place in the ocean where tides are highest
C) place in the ocean where tidal datum is displaced to the right (in the Northern Hemisphere) or to the south (in the Southern Hemisphere)
D) no tide point at the coast where there is a daily high tide, but no low tide

Question 54

Most of the world's coasts have tides.

A) semidiurnal
B) mixed diurnal
C) diurnal
D) mixed node

Question 55

A tidal or lunar day is exactly 24 hours long.

Question 56

Tides are long waves that are generated by gravity and inertia.

Question 57

The difference between high water (high tide) and low water (low tide) is the .

A) tidal bore
B) tidal wave
C) tidal range
D) amphidromic point

Question 58

Water rushing into an enclosed area because of the rise in sea level as a tide crest approaches is called .

A) an ebb current
B) a flood current
C) slack water
D) a neap tide

Question 59

A meteorological tide can be caused by .

A) rogue waves
B) storms
C) ebb currents
D) gravity and inertia

Question 60

Which body has the greatest influence on ocean tides?

A) the sun
B) the moon
C) Jupiter
D) Venus

Question 61

Which statement is true with regard to internal waves?

A) Internal waves usually move very fast.
B) Internal waves form at the boundary between water layers of different densities.
C) Internal waves are only generated by wind energy.
D) Internal waves form at the junction between air and water.

Question 62

Tides are shallow-water waves. Explain this statement.

Question 63

Because of the combination of gravitational and inertial forces, tides are unpredictable.

Question 64

Can tides be predicted? Explain why or why not and give examples of factors that may render tidal predictions inaccurate.

Question 65

What are the amphidromic points of the world ocean, and approximately how many are known to exist?

Question 66

There can only be one high tide and one low tide per tidal day for any given area.

Question 67

How do the wavelength of a wave and the depth of the water influence a wave's behavior?

Question 68

Waves with the greatest celerity, or speed, . A) have the longest wavelengths
B) occur in shallow water only
C) form when the wind is blowing less than 0.5 nautical miles per hour
D) have the shortest wavelengths

Question 69

Explain the relative influence of the sun and the moon on tides.

Question 70

For tides, the amphidromic point corresponds to the wave crest.