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green29dive5
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Beach
the entire active area of the coast that experiences changes due to breaking waves
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Where does wave energy converge?
on headlands
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where does wave energy diverge?
away from adjoining bays
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Parallel movement
- as waves approach shore, they bend so crests are nearly parallel to shore
- different segments of wave crests move at different speeds
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Zig zag motion
long shore current
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long shore current
zig zag motion
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How much can the long shore current speed up to?
4 km/hr
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What does the long shore current speed up with?
- beach slope
- wave height
- wave frequency
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How fast are rip currents
5 mph
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How big are rip currents
15-150 ft wide
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What are some features of a depositional coast?
Delta, Spit, Tombolo, Barrier island
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What are the features of a barrier island?
- beach
- dune
- barrier flat
- salt marsh
- lagoon
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barrier flat
formed from sand driven through openings during storm
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Low marsh
extends from ~mean sea level to the high neap-tide line
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high marsh
extends to highest spring-tide line
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what si the most biologically productivd
- low marsh
- land building vegitation
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What 3 external forcing functions shape a delta
- river influence
- wave influence
- tide influence
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Which one of the 3 external forcing functions shaping a delta forms the most structured delta?
river influence
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Which 1 of the 3 external forcing functions shaping a delta forms the least structured delta?
tide influence
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What determines the final shape of the delta?
the balance of all three factors
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What is the dominating external forcing function of the Mississippi river Delta and how has the delta built the coast line?
- River dominated
- switching delta lobes build coastline
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estuaries
body of water surrounded partially by land where fresh and ocean water mix
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What are the geologic classifications of estuaries?
- Drowned River Mouth
- Fjord
- Bar-Built
- Tectonic
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Drowned river mouth estuary
- river under rising sea level
- ex: Chesapeake Bay
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Fjord Geological Estuary
glacially eroded, deep with sill at mouth
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Bar-Built Estuary
- former low stand of sea level
- low angle coastlines
- EX: NC, Florida, Gulf Coast
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Tectonic estuaries
- active plate margins
- ex: San Francisco Bay
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Chemical Characteristics of estuaries
amount of mixing between freshwater and salt water
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The chemical characteristics of estuaries are determined by:
- shape of estuary
- volume of river flow at head
- tidal range at the mouth
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What are chemical categories of estuaries categorized by?
circulation patterns
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What are the chemical categories of estuaries?
- salt wedge
- well-mixed
- fjord
- reverse
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Which chemical category of estuaries is becoming more common?
reverse
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