GS106
Beach Systems Objectives
Objectives Part I can be used to for study for the midterm. They cover the material we talked about on Tuesday April 27th.
Beach objectives Part II will be covered after the midterm.
Objectives Part I
1) Understand what a tide is and what causes tides to occur.
2) What is a spring tide and what is a neap tide and how do they relate to the moons phases?
3) Know the difference between a diurnal, semidiurnal and a mix tide and know which type of tide the NW has.
4) Know the following terms and how they relate to tides
flood current, ebb current, slack water and tidal flat
5) What is an Estuary
6) What is the common cause of waves in the ocean?
7) Understand the difference in deep water waves and near shore waves with regards to how they move.
8) Be able to explain why a wave breaks as it approaches a shoreline, and how it transports or moves sediment on a shoreline (long shore drift)
9) What are the four primary things that control the size, period and speed of waves?
10) Know what is meant by the continental shelf and continental slope and understand how the West Coast of North America's shelf is different than the East Coast of North America.
11) What is wave refraction and how does it contribute to long shore drift and long shore current?
Objectives Part II
12) What is a wave cut platform/bench and how do they form?
13) Understand the evolution of a headland to a cave, arch and sea stack with time.
14) List three/four structures designed to help stop beach erosion and be able to discuss how they affect the overall shape of a beach and the movement of sediment.
15) What is beach nourishmant?
16) Know what the following features are:
Spit, Baymouth bar, Tombolo, Barrier islands
17) What is the difference between an emergent and submergent coastline, what are features commonly found on each and give an example of each type.
18) Explain the development of coral reefs and discuss how fringing reefs, barrier reefs and Atolls are all different.