Deck 10: Coastal Environments and Humans

Question 1

What percentage of the U.S. population now lives less than one hour's drive from a coastline?

A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 30%
D) 50%
E) 70%

Answer 1

50%

Question 2

Which of the following does NOT determines the size of ocean waves?

A) wind velocity
B) length of time wind blows over the water
C) the distance that wind blows over open water
D) the depth of the water at its closest point to the shoreline
E) the maximum energy that the waves can absorb

Answer 2

the depth of the water at its closest point to the shoreline

Question 3

What does fetch refer to in terms of ocean waves?

A) wind velocity
B) length of time wind blows over the water
C) the distance that wind blows over open water
D) a command given to a seagoing canine
E) the maximum energy that the waves can absorb

Answer 3

the distance that wind blows over open water

Question 4

Long wavelength, regularly spaced waves that travel out of a source area and continue for long distances are called:

A) chop.
B) fully developed seas.
C) storm waves.
D) white caps.
E) swell.

Question 5

The depth beneath the surface of the ocean below which passing waves do not disturb the water column is called:

A) thermocline.
B) wave base.
C) fetch.
D) wave depth.
E) the ocean floor.

Question 6

Which of the following measures is not an important factor on a wave's ability to do work?

A) wavelength
B) wave height
C) wave period
D) wave oscillation
E) wave base

Question 7

What is the general relationship between wavelength and wave base?

A) Wave base lies at a depth equal to half the wavelength.
B) Wave base lies at a depth equal to one wavelength.
C) Wave base lies at a depth equal to two wavelengths.
D) Wave base lies at a depth equal to three wavelengths.
E) Wave base lies at a depth equal to four wavelengths.

Question 8

What is the bending of waves as they approach the shoreline called?

A) wave base
B) wave period
C) wave refraction
D) wave retardation
E) wave diversion

Question 9

What is the most common cause of tsunamis?

A) earthquakes
B) volcanic eruptions
C) landslides
D) meteorite impacts
E) hurricanes and cyclones

Question 10

Why do most tsunamis occur in the Pacific basin?

A) because the Pacific Ocean is the biggest ocean
B) because the Pacific basin is surrounded by active plate boundaries
C) because the volcanic Hawaiian Islands are located there
D) because more meteors hit in the Pacific Ocean than other oceans
E) because the Pacific Ocean is the deepest ocean

Question 11

What is the term applied to a current that flows away from shore through the surf zone?

A) longshore current
B) equatorial counter current
C) tidal current
D) undertow current
E) rip current

Question 12

What is the dominant type of beach on the east coast of the U.S.?

A) barrier islands, or barrier beaches
B) spit beaches
C) pocket beaches
D) coastal plain, mainland beaches
E) ephemeral beaches

Question 13

If dams were constructed on all the streams leading to a shoreline all of the following would be expected to happen to the coast except?

A) Beaches would get smaller or even disappear.
B) Coastal erosion would increase.
C) Sand bars and spits would decrease in size.
D) Barrier islands would retreat and decrease in size.
E) An increase in the number of tsunamis.

Question 14

What would happen if a new shipping channel was cut through a barrier island on the east coast of the U.S. and lined with jetties where there is a strong southward longshore current?

A) The shoreline on the north side would widen seaward, and the one on the south would erode and retreat landward.
B) The shoreline on the south side would widen, and the one on the north would erode and retreat landward.
C) Both shorelines would retreat.
D) Neither shoreline would retreat.
E) All of the barrier islands would disappear because of erosion.

Question 15

Which hurricane caused the greatest loss of life in the U.S.?

A) Katrina (2005)
B) Galveston (1900)
C) Hugo (1989)
D) Camille (1969)
E) Agnes (1972)

Question 16

Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below: The locations of rip currents typically occur at the same places along a beach BECAUSE their location is controlled by the bottom topography of the shoreline.

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 17

How much is sea level expected to rise this century due to thermal expansion and melting of glacial ice as Earth warms?

A) 1 to 3 meters
B) 3 to 6 meters
C) 6 to 9 meters
D) 9 to 12 meters
E) 12 to 15 meters

Question 18

The annual amount of littoral drift on the eastern seaboard of the United States is on the order of:

A) hundreds of cubic yards of sand.
B) thousands of cubic yards of sand.
C) tens of thousands of cubic yards of sand.
D) hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of sand.
E) millions of cubic yards of sand.

Question 19

Which of the following does NOT describe a severe tropical low-pressure system with high winds in excess of 120 km per hour and torrential rain?

A) cyclones
B) typhoons
C) monsoon
D) hurricane
E) willy-willies

Question 20

The largest death toll from a natural disaster in the United States (over 6,000 killed) was caused by:

A) an earthquake.
B) river flooding
C) a hurricane.
D) a landslide.
E) a volcanic eruption.

Question 21

Waves with a long wavelength and long period are the most powerful.

Question 22

The time it takes for two successive wave crests or wave troughs to pass is called the frequency.

Question 23

Surf is made up of waves of translation.

Question 24

As a rule, waves approach the shore straight on.

Question 25

The net movement of sand particles in one direction along a beach face is called littoral drift.

Question 26

Undertow or backwash is more likely to knock you off your feet than to carry you out to sea.

Question 27

In general, the longshore current exists only in the surf zone.

Question 28

Wave energy tends to be focused on bays and away from points because of wave refraction.

Question 29

Tsunamis are waves that travel as fast a as a passenger jet aircraft.

Question 30

Only a small percentage of earthquakes produce tsunamis.

Question 31

The natural seasonal pattern for a beach is from narrower and gravelly in the summer to wider and sandy in the winter.

Question 32

Drought is a significant natural cause of beach erosion.

Question 33

The dominant direction of longshore transport (littoral drift) is southward on both coasts of the U.S.

Question 34

Active sea cliffs are characterized by steep faces and a lot of rock debris at their base.

Question 35

Concrete seawalls not only protect the land inboard of them, but also encourage sand accumulation.

Question 36

For a given set of storm conditions, there is a limit as to how big the waves can get.

Question 37

Rounded cobbles at the foot of the cliff are indicative of an inactive sea cliff.

Question 38

Artificially nourished beaches are generally short-lived.

Question 39

El Niño-Southern Oscillation conditions in the Pacific Ocean result in more hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean.

Question 40

Global climate models suggest that a warming climate may lead to the end of El Niño conditions.

Question 41

What is the difference between a wave of oscillation versus a wave of translation?

Question 42

Why are long wavelength waves considered to be the most powerful? Consider wave base in answering this question.

Question 43

What causes wave refraction?

Question 44

What are the two most important ingredients needed to make strong hurricanes?

Question 45

What is the northeast quadrant of a hurricane in the northern hemisphere, and why is it considered the most dangerous area of the storm?

Question 46

What is the leading cause of death and destruction in hurricanes and why?

Question 47

How are hurricanes classified?

Question 48

Are all of the effects of El Niño bad? Explain your answer.

Question 49

There were 61 deaths from the tsunami that hit Hilo, Hawaii, in 1960. Why were there so many deaths, considering that a tsunami warning had been issued and coastal warning sirens had been sounded?

Question 50

What is the most common solution applied to the problem of infilling of protected anchorages by sand carried by longshore currents?