Exam 20: Waves,Beaches and Coasts

The horizontal distance between two wave crests is called the ______.

The net effect of wave ____ is to move sand in a series of arcs along the beach face.

The energy that moves sand along a beach ultimately comes from ____.

Gravel beaches have a steeper face slope than sand beaches.

Coastal straightening occurs because of ____.

Winter beaches build up underwater sandbars that serve as a storage facility for next summer's sand supply.

Wave orbits decrease in size until motion is gone at a depth equal to twice wavelength.

Ordinary ocean waves are created by the interaction of the ____ and ____.

Wave erosion of headlands produces ____,steep slopes that retreat inland by mass wasting as wave erosion undercuts them.

A _____ is a structure built to absorb the force of large,offshore breaking waves and provide quiet water near shore.

_______ are sometimes built perpendicular to shore in an attempt to protect beaches that are losing sand from longshore drift.

A baymouth bar is a ridge of sediment that cuts a bay off from the open ocean.

Groins are short walls built parallel to shore to keep sand from moving.

Waves breaking along the shore are known as ____.

An irregular coast with bays separated by headlands can be straightened by plate tectonic forces.

A _____ is a ridge of sediment that cuts a bay off from the ocean.

The diameter of the orbital path of a water particle near the surface is equal to _____.

A particle of water in a wave moves in a circular orbit as the wave passes; the particle returns to its original position after the wave has passed.

The greater part of the sand from most beaches comes from ____.

____ are rock walls designed to protect the entrance of a harbor from sediment deposition and storm waves.