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Questions and Answers
What characterizes an erosional coast?
What characterizes an erosional coast?
What is a key feature of a depositionional coast?
What is a key feature of a depositionional coast?
What type of environment are the present shorelines of the world considered to be?
What type of environment are the present shorelines of the world considered to be?
A dynamic environment affected by both long-term and short-term cycles.
How much has the world sea level varied over the past 2 million years?
How much has the world sea level varied over the past 2 million years?
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What is the origin of sea cliffs, sea stacks, sea caves, blowholes, and arches?
What is the origin of sea cliffs, sea stacks, sea caves, blowholes, and arches?
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Where are steep, narrow, rocky beaches typically found?
Where are steep, narrow, rocky beaches typically found?
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What drives longshore currents?
What drives longshore currents?
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How do oceanographers usually classify coasts?
How do oceanographers usually classify coasts?
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What is a common problem facing many beaches along the U.S. east and west coasts?
What is a common problem facing many beaches along the U.S. east and west coasts?
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What is an estuary formed where a rapidly flowing large river enters the ocean in a low to moderate tidal range called?
What is an estuary formed where a rapidly flowing large river enters the ocean in a low to moderate tidal range called?
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An estuary is a type of delta.
An estuary is a type of delta.
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Give an example of a partially mixed estuary.
Give an example of a partially mixed estuary.
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What does refraction do over time?
What does refraction do over time?
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What does a longshore current do?
What does a longshore current do?
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What impacts longshore drift?
What impacts longshore drift?
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What is the result of longshore drift moving sediment down the beach?
What is the result of longshore drift moving sediment down the beach?
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What defines a beach?
What defines a beach?
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Study Notes
Coastal Types
- Erosional Coast: Characterized by net sediment loss, high-energy environment with significant wave activity; typically has beaches.
- Depositionional Coast: Defined by net sediment accumulation, often found in lower-energy environments.
Shoreline Dynamics
- Present Shorelines: Dynamic environments influenced by long-term and short-term cycles of change.
- Sea Level Variability: Over the past 2 million years, sea level has fluctuated between approximately 6 meters above and 125 meters below current levels.
Coastal Geomorphology
- Formation of Coastal Features: Sea cliffs, sea stacks, sea caves, blowholes, and arches are shaped primarily by wave erosion.
- Rocky Beaches: Steep, narrow, rocky beaches are typically situated in areas with high wave energy.
Coastal Currents and Processes
- Longshore Currents: Driven by wind waves that approach the coastline at an angle, these currents play a vital role in sediment transport along the coast.
- Classification of Coasts: Oceanographers categorize coasts based on the physical processes that shape them.
Beach Erosion Issues
- U.S. Beach Problems: Both east and west coasts of the U.S. face significant challenges from sand loss and beach erosion.
Estuary Types
- Salt Wedge Estuary: Forms where large, rapidly flowing rivers meet the ocean in low to moderate tidal ranges.
- False Statement about Estuaries: Estuaries are not classified as a type of delta.
- Partially Mixed Estuary Example: Chesapeake Bay is identified as a partially mixed estuary.
Coastal Processes and Sediment Movement
- Refraction: A process that erodes headlands over time by bending wave energy.
- Longshore Current: Responsible for lateral distribution of sand along the shoreline.
- Longshore Drift: Influenced by human structures; crucial for sediment transportation along the coast.
Effects of Longshore Drift
- Sediment Movement: Longshore drift results in beach growth on the updrift side, while erosion occurs on the downdrift side, often requiring multiple groins for management.
Beach Definition
- Beach Characteristics: Composed of loose particles covering part or all of a shore, with limits defined by sediment movement; includes an upper limit (formed by dunes, seawalls, cliffs, or vegetation) and a lower limit at a depth of about 10m where onshore sediment transport ceases, constantly changing due to environmental factors.
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