Deck 16: Oceans, Shorelines, and Shoreline Processes

Question 1

Rip currents commonly develop in regions where wave heights are highest.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Geologic evidence suggests that oceans formed by at least ____.

A)200,000 years ago
B)4.6 million years ago
C)2.4 billion years ago
D)3.5 billion years ago
E)4.6 billion years ago

Answer 2

3.5 billion years ago

Question 3

Nearly all beach sand is quartz.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Salinity of seawater is a measure of ____.

A)the total sodium and chloride
B)the total quantity of dissolved solids
C)trace elements
D)chemical weathering in the oceans
E)the volume of elements outgassed

Question 5

Which statement about the photic zone is true?

A)Light intensity increases with depth.
B)Organisms depend directly on organic substances "raining" down from the aphotic zone.
C)The photic zone is thicker than the aphotic zone.
D)The photic zone has sufficient sunlight for organisms to photosynthesize.
E)The water is typically green because of the abundance of organic matter

Question 6

The most useful way to measure seafloor depth is to ____.

A)measure the time it takes for sound waves to travel from a ship to the seafloor and back
B)use an energy source to produce strong waves that will reflect from the seafloor and layers beneath the seafloor
C)use a very long line with a weight attached
D)make trips to the seafloor in modern submersibles
E)extrapolate depth from temperature and pressure changes

Question 7

Surface ocean currents are ____ driven, and deep ocean currents are ____ driven.

A)density; wind
B)wind; density
C)pressure; density
D)wind; pressure
E)wind; temperature

Question 8

Glacial periods are characterized by submergent coasts.

Question 9

The saltiness of seawater has been a state of dynamic equilibrium for at least 1.5 billion years.

Question 10

Water in waves is displaced from the circular orbits when ____.

A)waves enter progressively shallower water
B)seas become swells
C)waves reach great heights
D)waves reach great lengths
E)winds reach a critical velocity

Question 11

The oceans are most likely to get saltier if ____.

A)outgassing is reduced
B)precipitation increases
C)runoff from lakes and streams is increased
D)glaciers melt
E)the formation of evaporite deposits increases

Question 12

Ocean water evolved ____.

A)from condensation of water vapor in a hydrogen rich atmosphere
B)from condensation of water vapor from volcanic eruptions
C)as Earth warmed
D)with accumulation of rainfall
E)as glaciers melted

Question 13

Winter beach profiles can actually develop during any season.

Question 14

Barrier islands migrate landward.

Question 15

By definition, beaches are composed of sand.

Question 16

Ocean currents move in the direction of local winds.

Question 17

The diameter of a water molecule's orbit increases with depth until the wave reaches the seafloor.

Question 18

Which term describes vertical ocean circulation, in which water moves from deep to shallow?

A)surface currents
B)deep currents
C)downwelling
D)upwelling
E)gyre transport

Question 19

The densest ocean water is ____.

A)warm and very saline
B)cold and very saline
C)warm and not very saline
D)cold and not very saline
E)found in the photic zone

Question 20

Wave energy is concentrated on headlands.

Question 21

The largest waves are generated when ____.

A)fetch is large, wind speed is high, and wind duration is short
B)fetch is small, wind speed is high, and wind duration is short
C)fetch is large, wind speed is high, and wind duration is long
D)fetch is small, wind speed is high, and wavelength is long
E)fetch is large, wind speed is high, and wavelength is short

Question 22

Ocean energy is difficult to harness because ____.

A)energy can only be harness in nearshore areas
B)the salt in the ocean will corrode machinery
C)the energy is not very concentrated
D)there are so many different ways energy is generated in the ocean
E)the cost makes it economically unfeasible

Question 23

Beaches change seasonally in response to changes in ____.

A)wave intensity
B)sand volume
C)wave direction
D)direction of longshore currents
E)the frequency of rip currents

Question 24

A deposit of unconsolidated sediment that extends landward from low tide to a change in topography or to where permanent vegetation begins is a(n)____.

A)spit
B)tombolo
C)barrier island
D)beach
E)baymouth bar

Question 25

Emergent coasts form when ____.

A)deposition is greater than erosion
B)land subsides or sea level falls
C)land subsides or sea level rises
D)land rises or sea level falls
E)rivers dump larger volumes of sediment into the ocean

Question 26

The deep seafloor is primarily composed of ____.

A)clays and biological oozes
B)sand and biological oozes
C)glacial outwash and biological oozes
D)bare rocks with a thin layer of biological oozes
E)hydrothermal vents and biological oozes

Question 27

What happens when a wave enters shallow water?

A)Wavelength decreases, wave height increases, and wave speed increases.
B)Wavelength decreases, wave height decreases, and wave speed decreases.
C)Wavelength increases, wave height increases, and wave speed decreases.
D)Wavelength increases, wave height increases, and wave speed increases.
E)Wavelength decreases, wave height increases, and wave speed decreases.

Question 28

What type of coast is straight and has marine terraces?

A)depositional coast
B)erosional coast
C)submergent coast
D)emergent coast
E)rocky coast

Question 29

A beach with a small berm, coarser sediment, and offshore sand bars is a(n)____.

A)summer beach
B)winter beach
C)high energy beach
D)tide-dominated beach
E)sediment-poor beach

Question 30

What are narrow surface currents that flow in the same general direction as the approaching waves?

A)rip currents
B)nearshore currents
C)longshore currents
D)upwelling currents
E)refraction currents

Question 31

If wavelength is 18 meters, wave base is located at ____.

A)2 meters
B)6 meters
C)9 meters
D)12 meters
E)18 meters

Question 32

What is a spit that connects an island to the mainland called?

A)hook
B)tombolo
C)barrier island
D)beach
E)baymouth bar

Question 33

What amount of oil from U.S. production comes from the Gulf of Mexico?

A)10%
B)30%
C)50%
D)65%
E)100%

Question 34

The movement of water within a wave travels ____.

A)with the wave
B)in a circular path at and just below the water surface
C)in a circular path at a depth of one-half the wavelength
D)in both a longitudinal and circular path
E)in an up and down motion to a depth of one-half the wavelength

Question 35

The distance wave-producing winds blow over a continuous body of water is the ____.

A)wavelength
B)trough
C)height
D)fetch
E)velocity

Question 36

Sediment is lost from the nearshore zone primarily by ____.

A)cliff erosion
B)longshore currents
C)dam construction
D)deposition into submarine canyons and offshore transport
E)storms

Question 37

Wide beaches, deltas, and barrier islands are characteristic of ____ coasts.

A)depositional
B)erosional
C)submergent
D)emergent
E)western

Question 38

Spring tides are tides ____.

A)that result from the combined gravitational force of the aligned Moon and Sun
B)that occur when the Sun and Moon are disposed at right angles to one another
C)that occur in springtime when floodwaters are high
D)with a relatively small range
E)that are high only once per day

Question 39

The area within 200 nautical miles of its shoreline to which the U.S. claims all mineral resources is called the ____.

A)Continental Shelf
B)Marginal Marine Territory
C)Exclusive Economic Zone
D)Marine Mineral Territory
E)Marine Mineral Zone

Question 40

Although sea level is rising worldwide, the amount of rise varies by location. What two factors influence the amount of sea level rise at a local scale?

A)rate of uplift or subsidence and volume of water in oceans
B)slope of coastal area and ocean temperature
C)presence of barrier islands and rate of uplift or subsidence
D)presence of estuaries and volume of water in oceans
E)presence of barrier islands and slope of coastal area

Question 41

A(n)____________________ is the location where land meets the sea; a(n)____________________ is the same, in addition to the land both seaward and landward of it.

Question 42

____________________ ____________________ measures the depth of the ocean floor by generating strong waves from an energy source that will reflect off the ocean floor and its underlying layers.

Question 43

What are two ways (one natural and one human-induced)in which the sediment budget of a coastline can become negative?

Question 44

Describe the three stages in the evolution of a coral reef. You may find the use of sketches helpful.

Question 45

The zone that extends to just beyond where the waves break is called the ____________________ zone.

Question 46

The bending of waves toward shore as they approach from an oblique angle is called wave ____________________.

Question 47

Why do waves bend or refract as they approach shorelines?

Question 48

What is upwelling, and why is it so important biologically?

Question 49

Coastal managers have many methods to protect shorelines, among which are engineering options like building jetties, groins, sea walls, and beach renourishment projects. Discuss the positive and negative effects of each of these engineering solutions on the coastlines. Are these viable permanent solutions? Why or why not?

Question 50

Shorelines experience depositional and erosional processes. List one feature formed by deposition and one feature formed by erosion, and explain how each feature is formed.

Question 51

Regularly-sized waves with long, rounded crests are known as ____________________.

Question 52

____________________ are features of a submergent coast where freshwater and seawater mix in drowned river valleys.

Question 53

If hydraulic action and abrasion undercut headlands, structures known as ____________________ may form. When these join they form a(n)____________________, which might later collapse to give a(n)____________________.

Question 54

Briefly explain the effects of rising sea level on the barrier islands along the United States coastlines. Why are coastal communities concerned?

Question 55

Would it be surprising to find a deposit of sand on the deep ocean floor? Why or why not?

Question 56

Large-scale water circulation systems called ____________________ operate on the ocean surface in response to wind and the Coriolis effect.

Question 57

During severe storms, the ocean surface bulges upward in response to low pressure and wind-driven waves to create flooding in coastal areas. This large volume of water is called a(n)____________________ ____________________.

Question 58

Orbiting molecules of water in a wave touch the sea or lake floor at the depth of the ____________________.