Question 1

What is an estuary and how are they unique ecosystems?

Accepted Answer

An estuary is a body of water partially surrounded by land, where freshwater from land mixes with ocean water. Oceanographically, they are quite dynamic as the physical and chemical characteristics (i.e. temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, etc)can fluctuate significantly based on the shape of the estuary, the volume of river flow at the head of the estuary, and the range of tides at the estuary. Despite the challenges this presents to organisms, estuaries are areas of remarkable biological productivity and diversity. Estuaries are unique ecosystems for many reasons including their high availability of nutrients and sunlight, protection from wave shock, and the presence of various habitats. Due to these factors estuaries often support a tremendous number of living organisms.

Question 2

What is an erosional coast and how are they different from other types of coasts?

Accepted Answer

Erosional coasts are new coasts in which the dominant processes are those that remove coastal material. Erosional coasts are different from other types of coasts due to the leading processes affecting them. These processes include things such as stream erosion, plant root probing, glacial activity, rainfall, wind abrasion, and more. Erosional coasts are constantly under attack and are characteristically different from other coasts due to the dominant processes that occur there and remove coastal material.

Question 3

A vertical wall of variable height that is often carved into a beach by wave action at high tide is called a ____.

Accepted Answer

A) berm 
B) beach scarp 
C) foreshore 
D) backshore 
A) berm 
B) beach scarp 
C) foreshore 
D) backshore B

Question 4

Breakwaters alter beaches by ____.

Accepted Answer

A) diverting sand away from boat anchorages that the breakwater was built to provide 
B) interrupting the progress of waves to the beach and weakening the longshore current 
C) allowing freshwater to flow readily into the ocean 
D) filling in bays or inlets 
A) diverting sand away from boat anchorages that the breakwater was built to provide 
B) interrupting the progress of waves to the beach and weakening the longshore current 
C) allowing freshwater to flow readily into the ocean 
D) filling in bays or inlets

Question 5

Which of the following is true for depositional coasts?

Accepted Answer

A) They have never been changed by wave action since sea level stabilized. 
B) They never support beaches. 
C) Exposed bedrock is more common than loose sediment on depositional coasts. 
D) Beaches are a common feature on depositional coasts. 
A) They have never been changed by wave action since sea level stabilized. 
B) They never support beaches. 
C) Exposed bedrock is more common than loose sediment on depositional coasts. 
D) Beaches are a common feature on depositional coasts.

Question 6

Over time, the amount of water in the world ocean has remained constant.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

The movement of sediment (usually sand)along the coast, driven by wave action, is referred to as ____.

Accepted Answer

A) wave reflection 
B) foreshore current 
C) longshore drift 
D) estuarine drift 
A) wave reflection 
B) foreshore current 
C) longshore drift 
D) estuarine drift

Question 8

The present shorelines of the world are considered to be ____.

Accepted Answer

A) geologically stable zones separating land and sea 
B) features of great geological antiquity 
C) active environments that are subject to rearrangement by waves and tides, by gradual changes in sea level, by biological processes, and by tectonic activity 
D) that part of the marine environment most resistant to change 
A) geologically stable zones separating land and sea 
B) features of great geological antiquity 
C) active environments that are subject to rearrangement by waves and tides, by gradual changes in sea level, by biological processes, and by tectonic activity 
D) that part of the marine environment most resistant to change

Question 9

The variation in sea level that can be measured over the world ocean is called ____.

Accepted Answer

A) erosional change 
B) tectonic change 
C) dynamic change 
D) eustatic change 
A) erosional change 
B) tectonic change 
C) dynamic change 
D) eustatic change

Question 10

The origin of sea cliffs, sea stacks, sea caves, blowholes, and arches is related to ____.

Accepted Answer

A) longshore currents 
B) high tides 
C) human activities 
D) erosion by waves 
A) longshore currents 
B) high tides 
C) human activities 
D) erosion by waves

Question 11

The Mississippi River delta is an example of a ____.

Accepted Answer

A) tide-dominated delta 
B) river-dominated delta 
C) wave-dominated delta 
D) mixed delta 
A) tide-dominated delta 
B) river-dominated delta 
C) wave-dominated delta 
D) mixed delta

Question 12

Most often, sediments found on the beaches of depositional coasts are supplied by ____.

Accepted Answer

A) erosion of local coastal cliffs 
B) erosion of basement rock along the shoreline 
C) glacial processes 
D) rivers or ocean currents 
A) erosion of local coastal cliffs 
B) erosion of basement rock along the shoreline 
C) glacial processes 
D) rivers or ocean currents

Question 13

It is believed that over the past two million years, world sea level has ____.

Accepted Answer

A) changed, but not significantly 
B) varied from about 6 meters above to about 125 meters below present position 
C) varied from about 125 meters above to about 6 meters below present position 
D) not changed 
A) changed, but not significantly 
B) varied from about 6 meters above to about 125 meters below present position 
C) varied from about 125 meters above to about 6 meters below present position 
D) not changed

Question 14

The Florida Keys is an example of how living organisms such as corals can influence coastlines.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Estuaries are categorized by ____.

Accepted Answer

A) location or latitude 
B) circulation patterns 
C) the ratio of fresh water to salt water 
D) sediment origins and age 
A) location or latitude 
B) circulation patterns 
C) the ratio of fresh water to salt water 
D) sediment origins and age

Question 16

Deltas form at the mouths of sediment-laden rivers and where continental shelves are broad.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

A long, shallow body of seawater isolated from the ocean, that lies between the shoreline and a barrier island is called a ____.

Accepted Answer

A) bay 
B) sand spit 
C) lagoon 
D) tombolo 
A) bay 
B) sand spit 
C) lagoon 
D) tombolo

Question 18

A sand spit forms when ____.

Accepted Answer

A) a long-shore current speeds up 
B) a long-shore current slows 
C) a turbidity currents flows near a coast 
D) sediment deposition connects a barrier island to the mainland 
A) a long-shore current speeds up 
B) a long-shore current slows 
C) a turbidity currents flows near a coast 
D) sediment deposition connects a barrier island to the mainland

Question 19

Both land erosion and sea-level changes can shape a coastline.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

The energy that drives the longshore currents is derived from ____.

Accepted Answer

A) hurricanes and cyclones 
B) major surface currents, such as the Gulf Stream 
C) monthly high tides 
D) wind waves approaching the beach front at an angle 
A) hurricanes and cyclones 
B) major surface currents, such as the Gulf Stream 
C) monthly high tides 
D) wind waves approaching the beach front at an angle

What is an estuary and how are they unique ecosystems?

What is an erosional coast and how are they different from other types of coasts?

A vertical wall of variable height that is often carved into a beach by wave action at high tide is called a ____.

Breakwaters alter beaches by ____.

Which of the following is true for depositional coasts?

Over time, the amount of water in the world ocean has remained constant.

The movement of sediment (usually sand)along the coast, driven by wave action, is referred to as ____.

The present shorelines of the world are considered to be ____.

The variation in sea level that can be measured over the world ocean is called ____.

The origin of sea cliffs, sea stacks, sea caves, blowholes, and arches is related to ____.

The Mississippi River delta is an example of a ____.

Most often, sediments found on the beaches of depositional coasts are supplied by ____.

It is believed that over the past two million years, world sea level has ____.

The Florida Keys is an example of how living organisms such as corals can influence coastlines.

Estuaries are categorized by ____.

Deltas form at the mouths of sediment-laden rivers and where continental shelves are broad.

A long, shallow body of seawater isolated from the ocean, that lies between the shoreline and a barrier island is called a ____.

A sand spit forms when ____.

Both land erosion and sea-level changes can shape a coastline.

The energy that drives the longshore currents is derived from ____.

The Origin of the Ocean

A History of Marine Science

Earth Structure and Plate Tectonics

Ocean Basins

Ocean Sediments

Water

Atmospheric Circulation

Ocean Circulation

Waves

Tides

Life in the Ocean

Pelagic Communities

Benthic Communities

Uses and Abuses of the Ocean

Filters

Exam 11: Coasts

What is an estuary and how are they unique ecosystems?

What is an erosional coast and how are they different from other types of coasts?

A vertical wall of variable height that is often carved into a beach by wave action at high tide is called a ____.

Breakwaters alter beaches by ____.

Which of the following is true for depositional coasts?

Over time, the amount of water in the world ocean has remained constant.

The movement of sediment (usually sand)along the coast, driven by wave action, is referred to as ____.

The present shorelines of the world are considered to be ____.

The variation in sea level that can be measured over the world ocean is called ____.

The origin of sea cliffs, sea stacks, sea caves, blowholes, and arches is related to ____.

The Mississippi River delta is an example of a ____.

Most often, sediments found on the beaches of depositional coasts are supplied by ____.

It is believed that over the past two million years, world sea level has ____.

The Florida Keys is an example of how living organisms such as corals can influence coastlines.

Estuaries are categorized by ____.

Deltas form at the mouths of sediment-laden rivers and where continental shelves are broad.

A long, shallow body of seawater isolated from the ocean, that lies between the shoreline and a barrier island is called a ____.

A sand spit forms when ____.

Both land erosion and sea-level changes can shape a coastline.

The energy that drives the longshore currents is derived from ____.

The Origin of the Ocean

A History of Marine Science

Earth Structure and Plate Tectonics

Ocean Basins

Ocean Sediments

Water

Atmospheric Circulation

Ocean Circulation

Waves

Tides

Life in the Ocean

Pelagic Communities

Benthic Communities

Uses and Abuses of the Ocean

Filters