Deck 19: Shorelines: Changing Landscapes Where Land Meets Sea

Question 1

Over time, shorelines

A) vary by minor features but maintain the same basic outline.
B) tend to retreat landward by erosion.
C) tend to increase seaward due to sediment deposition.
D) may move seaward or landward.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

A swimmer caught in a rip current should

A) swim out to sea to escape it.
B) swim along the shore to escape it.
C) swim straight back to shore to escape it.
D) float along in the current until it loses energy and is easier to escape.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Figure 19.4
Refer to Figure 19.4. Which of the following conclusions cannot be made from the given information?

A) A duck on water will move slightly forward with each wave that passes.
B) A duck will move up and down as waves move beneath it.
C) The distance that a wave moves an object back and forth as it passes increases as the object gets closer to the bottom of the wave.
D) Wave motion does not move water below the wave base.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Humans build walls perpendicular to the shoreline called

A) spits.
B) baymouth bars.
C) groins.
D) berms.

Question 5

Which factor does not affect wave height?

A) local depth of the ocean
B) velocity of wind
C) duration of wind
D) direction of wind

Question 6

Which is not a characteristic of a tsunami?

A) One giant wave is followed almost immediately by an even larger one.
B) The water floods far onto land for an extended period of time.
C) Tsunami develop suddenly and without warning.
D) Tsunami have extremely tall wave heights.

Question 7

Ripples in sand caused by elliptical wave motion tend to

A) slope toward the shore.
B) slope away from the shore more steeply than toward the shore.
C) slope irregularly depending on the current.
D) slope equally away from the shore and toward the shore.

Question 8

The boundary between the steep part and the flat part of a beach is called

A) a berm.
B) a beach face.
C) a berm crest.
D) a wave-cut platform.

Question 9

Irregularities in coastal outlines are least affected by

A) joints.
B) bedding planes.
C) rock strength.
D) age of rock.

Question 10

Evaluate the following statement. "Beaches are often found at headlands."

A) This statement is true.
B) This statement is probably true but incomplete; beaches are found on all sorts of shoreline features.
C) This statement is probably false; beaches are more often deposited in bays.
D) This statement is false; beaches are only deposited on long, straight stretches of coast.

Question 11

What is beach drift?

A) movement of a beach outline due to erosion and deposition
B) movement of a beach outline due to longshore currents
C) wood and debris that drift up onto the beach during storms
D) movement of beach sediment due to swash and backwash

Question 12

Which feature is most likely to be exposed only at low tide?

A) a sea arch
B) a wave-cut platform
C) a sea cave
D) a sea stack

Question 13

Which type of energy is least involved with waves crashing on a beach and retreating back to sea?

A) frictional energy
B) mechanical energy
C) gravitational energy
D) sound energy

Question 14

Which is not a change that waves experience as the sea becomes shallower?

A) wave velocity increases
B) wave height increases
C) crests become narrower than troughs
D) wavelength decreases

Question 15

Evaluate this statement. "Victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26, 2004, might have been saved if they realized that an extremely low water level at the shore was the trough of a huge wave."

A) This statement is true.
B) This statement is false. Tsunamis have very long wavelengths but relatively short wave heights.
C) This statement is partially true. There is a low water level before a tsunami hits, but it is caused by the rolling movement of the wave, not a wave trough.
D) This statement is false. Victims would not have had time to run before the wave hit.

Question 16

Which factor is not affected by a strong wind that blows for an extended time over deep water?

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

Question 17

A hook shape may form on a spit because of

A) rip currents.
B) wave refraction.
C) wave deflection.
D) erosion.

Question 18

If the following sand grain minerals were mixed together, which one would get deposited on a beach most often because of its density?

A) basalt
B) calcite
C) quartz
D) feldspar

Question 19

A ________ is described as the elapsed time between the passage of successive wave troughs past a stationary point.

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

Question 20

Which statement about tsunami is false?

A) Tsunami are almost impossible to detect in the deep ocean.
B) Tsunami move faster as they approach shore.
C) Tsunami increase in height as they approach the shore.
D) Tsunami cannot be caused by wind.

Question 21

Measurements of corals in the Caribbean to determine sea level rise and fall are hampered by

A) difficulties with carbon-dating methods due to the way that corals incorporate carbon into their shells.
B) a lack of knowledge about how much tectonic uplift and subsidence have occurred.
C) difficulties in finding all remaining corals buried in sediment.
D) changes in the sea due to local weather conditions.

Question 22

How are wave processes in the Great Lakes different from wave processes in the ocean?

A) They have a shorter wavelength.
B) They have a shorter wave height.
C) They are more frequent.
D) They are not different.

Question 23

Which of the following is not a possible product of tides?

A) electricity
B) clastic sediment
C) chemical sediment
D) tidal channels

Question 24

Spring tides occur when

A) the Moon's gravitational attraction is perpendicular to the Sun.
B) Earth, the Moon, and the Sun are all aligned.
C) the Moon and the Sun exert forces on Earth at a 45° angle.
D) the Moon and the Sun exert forces on Earth at a 60° angle.

Question 25

What caused holes in marble Roman columns 6 meters above sea level?

A) salt-water corrosion
B) physical weathering
C) clams
D) chemical weathering

Question 26

At what location is the most wave energy expended?

A) tidal inlets
B) lagoons
C) barrier islands
D) bays

Question 27

The tide-gage record in New York City shows that the sea level over the last 100 years has

A) dropped by an average of 1.1 centimeters per year.
B) risen by an average of 1.1 centimeters per year.
C) dropped by an average of 3 millimeters per year.
D) risen by an average of 3 millimeters per year.

Question 28

Which of the following is not considered a loss to the sediment budget for a shoreline?

A) Sediment is carried farther along the shore by longshore currents.
B) Sediment is eroded from local sea cliffs and headlands.
C) Sand is blown off the beach on to adjacent coastal sand dunes.
D) Sediment is eroded by waves and carried offshore by rip currents.

Question 29

Tides are principally caused by

A) friction.
B) Earth's revolution of the Sun.
C) gravity.
D) velocity.

Question 30

How many people worldwide live on land that is less than one meter above sea level?

A) 1 billion
B) 900 million
C) 100 million
D) 50 million

Question 31

During the last ice age about 21,000 years ago, the ice would have taken up a volume equal to what depth of the oceans?

A) 5-10 meters
B) 40-55 meters
C) 70-82 meters
D) 100-120 meters

Question 32

What was the cause of modern-day confusion over the location of the ancient city of Troy?

A) shoreline uplift
B) shoreline subsidence
C) sedimentation of an estuary
D) erosion and widening of an estuary

Question 33

Which is not a cause of rising and falling shorelines?

A) creation of seafloor at mid-ocean ridges
B) local uplift of crust
C) melting of continental glacial ice
D) earthquakes along the San Andreas fault

Question 34

Sediment is removed from the beach budget in the United States by dams for power on rivers. How does this affect the coastline?

A) sedimentation becomes more severe
B) erosion becomes more severe
C) uplift becomes more severe
D) subsidence becomes more severe

Question 35

Sea levels at the New York tide gage have varied greatly from year to year because of

A) weather conditions.
B) rising and falling of local land forms.
C) melting and freezing of arctic ice.
D) changes in tides due to the gravity of other planets.

Question 36

Which of the following is true of daily tides?

A) Each day has either a high tide or a low tide.
B) Each day has both a high tide and a low tide.
C) Each day has two high tides and two low tides.
D) Each day may have one or two of each type, depending on location.

Question 37

Evaluate the following statement. "Coastlines are straighter when they result from relative sea-level rise than when they result from relative sea-level fall."

A) This statement is true.
B) The statement is false. Sea-level fall results in straighter coastlines than sea-level rise.
C) The statement is sometimes true, but depends on the type of rock involved in each case.
D) The statement is sometimes true, but depends more on barrier islands than on the rise and fall of the sea.

Question 38

The highest elevations on barrier islands are often

A) sand dunes.
B) sea stacks.
C) extinct volcanoes.
D) uplifted metamorphic rock.

Question 39

Figure 19.42
According to Figure 19.42, a drowned coral reef in the Caribbean that is under 70 meters of seawater is

A) about 7 million years old.
B) about 10 million years old.
C) about 12 million years old.
D) about 20 million years old.

Question 40

Neap tides occur when

A) the Moon's gravitational attraction is perpendicular to the Sun.
B) Earth, the Moon, and the Sun are all aligned.
C) the Moon and the Sun exert forces on Earth at a 45°angle.
D) the Moon and the Sun exert forces on Earth at a 60° angle.

Question 41

Typical ocean waves have wave heights of ________ meters.

A) 0.01 to 0.5
B) 0.5 to 20
C) 20 to 50
D) 50 to 100

Question 42

When waves continue into progressively shallower water all of the following occur except

A) wavelength decreases.
B) crests become narrower than troughs.
C) the forward wave velocity decreases.
D) wave height decreases.

Question 43

Typical ocean waves have periods of ________ seconds.

A) 0.01 to 0.5
B) 0.5 to 5
C) 5 to 20
D) 20 to 100

Question 44

A sea-level rise of 1 centimeter commonly causes

A) less than 1 meter of shoreline retreat.
B) less than 1 meter of shoreline sedimentation.
C) more than 1.5 meters of shoreline sedimentation.
D) more than 1.5 meters of shoreline retreat.

Question 45

Typical ocean waves have wavelengths of ________ meters.

A) 0.01 to 0.5
B) 0.5 to 20
C) 10 to 200
D) 200 to 1000

Question 46

The vertical distance between adjacent wave crest and wave trough is called

A) wave height.
B) wavelength.
C) wave period.
D) wave base.

Question 47

When waves continue into progressively shallower water, elliptical wave motion near the seafloor produces

A) breakers.
B) ripples.
C) swash.
D) headlands.

Question 48

What method was used to replenish Miami beach in the 1970s?

A) New sea walls were built.
B) Sand was pumped back onto the beach.
C) Groins were built.
D) Dams were removed from nearby rivers.

Question 49

The elapsed time between the passage of successive wave crests past a stationary point is called

A) wavelength.
B) wave base.
C) wave period.
D) wave height.

Question 50

"A rising sea temperature results in a higher sea level." Evaluate this statement.

A) It is false; more evaporation occurs at higher temperatures.
B) It is true; materials expand at higher temperatures.
C) It is true; the large quantity of glacier ice that melts when the sea temperature is higher.
D) It is false; when the sea temperature is higher, more water is returned to the continents.

Question 51

Based on shoreline deposits from 125,000 years ago, scientists believe that the sea will ________ before the next ice age.

A) rise 5-6 meters
B) rise 10-12 meters
C) drop 1-2 meters
D) drop 10-12 meters

Question 52

Which of the following events does not commonly occur at a delta?

A) Sea level rises higher than sedimentation builds all parts of the delta.
B) Sediment compacts over time.
C) Sediment isostatically depresses the crust.
D) Erosion deepens the delta into a bay.

Question 53

When a wave reaches shore it piles a mass of water against the coast because water moves slowly

A) towards the poles.
B) towards the equator.
C) in the direction of wave movement.
D) away from the shoreline.

Question 54

Which city has already subsided below sea level?

A) New York
B) Los Angeles
C) New Orleans
D) Miami

Question 55

The distance between successive wave crests is called

A) wavelength.
B) wave base.
C) wave period.
D) wave height.

Question 56

Over the last 275 years, the relative sea-level rise in Venice has been

A) about 120 centimeters.
B) about 70 centimeters.
C) about 50 centimeters.
D) about 30 centimeters.

Question 57

Which of the following is not an expected result of rising sea levels?

A) rising islands
B) flooding along inland stream banks
C) undrinkable ground water in wells in coastal areas
D) landward migration of barrier islands

Question 58

The depth below which there is no wave motion is called the

A) wavelength.
B) wave base.
C) wave period.
D) wave height.

Question 59

The depth below which there is no wave motion is

A) the same throughout the ocean.
B) close to the surface near the equator.
C) very deep near the poles.
D) equal to one-half the wavelength.

Question 60

Order the steps that occurred to the estuary at Troy. 1 sea levels rose slowly 2 the estuary flooded and widened 3 sedimentation occurred 4 sea levels rose rapidly

A) 4, 2, 1, 3
B) 4, 3, 1, 2
C) 1, 2, 4, 3
D) 1, 3, 4, 2

Question 61

The safest thing to do if you are caught in a rip current is to swim

A) parallel to the shore.
B) fight the current.
C) parallel to the current.
D) perpendicular to the longshore current.

Question 62

Explain how a wave moves water.

Question 63

Figure 19.25
According to Figure 19.25, the largest volume of sediment removed from this section of beach in central California comes from

A) longshore current.
B) wind transport.
C) coastal erosion.
D) river transport.

Question 64

Explain how waves move through a medium.

Question 65

Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below. Deltas are immune from the effects of sea-level rise because deltas are headlands that build into the sea by the deposition of river sediment.

A) The assertion and the reason are both correct, and the reason is valid.
B) The assertion and the reason are both correct, but the reason is invalid.
C) The assertion is correct but the reason is incorrect.
D) The assertion is incorrect but the reason is correct.
E) Both the assertion and the reason are incorrect.

Question 66

A longshore current exists when

A) waves are perpendicular to the shoreline.
B) waves approach the shoreline at an angle.
C) waves are parallel to the shoreline.
D) the distance between wave crests increases.

Question 67

What is the difference between longshore currents and rip tide currents?

Question 68

Humans benefit from the persistent rise and fall of tides because they can be used as a source of

A) fresh water.
B) coal.
C) electricity.
D) sediment.

Question 69

Explain how longshore currents form. Explain how rip tide currents form.

Question 70

What is a sea stack and how do they form?

Question 71

Elongate sediment ridges that project from headlands in the direction of the longshore current are called

A) sea stacks.
B) berms.
C) spits.
D) groins.

Question 72

The difference between a groin and a jetty is that

A) a jetty is longer than a groin.
B) a groin is higher than a jetty.
C) a groin is perpendicular to the shoreline and a jetty is parallel to the shoreline.
D) a jetty is perpendicular to the shoreline and a groin is parallel to the shoreline.

Question 73

Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below. In barrier-island shorelines tidal currents are much stronger in tidal inlets between adjacent islands than on the nearby tidal flats because neap tides occur when the Moon's gravitational attraction is oriented perpendicular to that of the Sun.

A) The assertion and the reason are both correct, and the reason is valid.
B) The assertion and the reason are both correct, but the reason is invalid.
C) The assertion is correct but the reason is incorrect.
D) The assertion is incorrect but the reason is correct.
E) Both the assertion and the reason are incorrect.

Question 74

The presence of sea shells on beaches indicates that

A) waves erode some beach sediment from shoreline rock and regolith.
B) streams deliver large volumes of sediment to the ocean.
C) waves erode sediment from the seafloor.
D) longshore currents carry sediment off the end of a headland.

Question 75

Name two ways that tsunami waves are different from regular waves.

Question 76

Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below. Wave refraction focuses erosion at headlands and favors deposition in adjacent bays along the shore because the velocity of water decreases as it moves upslope against the force of gravity.

A) The assertion is correct but the reason is incorrect.
B) The assertion is incorrect but the reason is correct.
C) The assertion and the reason are both correct, and the reason is valid.
D) The assertion and the reason are both correct, but the reason is invalid.
E) Both the assertion and the reason are incorrect.

Question 77

Figure 19.25
According to Figure 19.25, the largest volume of sediment delivered to this section of beach in central California comes from

A) longshore current.
B) wind transport.
C) coastal erosion.
D) river transport.

Question 78

Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below. It is essential to know the rate of current sea-level rise because approximately 100 million people live around the world at locations less than 1 meter above sea level.

A) The assertion and the reason are both correct, and the reason is valid.
B) The assertion and the reason are both correct, but the reason is invalid.
C) The assertion is correct but the reason is incorrect.
D) The assertion is incorrect but the reason is correct.
E) Both the assertion and the reason are incorrect.

Question 79

Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below. The barren surface of the tidal flat exposed at low tide lacks vegetation because tidal flats form on the lagoon side of a barrier island.

A) The assertion and the reason are both correct, and the reason is valid.
B) The assertion and the reason are both correct, but the reason is invalid.
C) The assertion is correct but the reason is incorrect.
D) The assertion is incorrect but the reason is correct.
E) Both the assertion and the reason are incorrect.

Question 80

Evidence that the entire thickness of the ocean water column is in motion during a tsunami includes

A) the short period.
B) the low velocities.
C) the low wave base.
D) the large wavelengths.