Wave Motion
What primarily causes ocean waves?
Wind
What causes a tsunami?
Seafloor displacement
What do we call the exposed area of loose sediment beside water?
Beach
What is a lagoon?
Brackish water between barrier island and mainland
What do longshore currents do?
Move water parallel to shore
What is the term for circular wave motion with little forward movement?
Waves of oscillation
What is wave refraction?
Bending of waves as they approach shore
What is a spit?
A long deposit of sand from longshore drift
What is the result of a drowned river valley due to sea level rise?
Ria shoreline
What is a major contributor to coastal sediment?
What happens to a wave in shallow water?
It steepens and breaks
Which is NOT a cause of coastal erosion?
Photosynthesis
What defines a tombolo?
A sand bar connecting an island to land
What do marine terraces represent?
Uplifted wave-cut platforms
How do groins affect beaches?
They trap sediment to reduce erosion
What is 'swash'?
The rush of a breaking wave onto shore
What is formed when air is forced into cracks in coastal rock?
Pneumatic erosion
How do barrier islands form?
From longshore sediment deposits in shallow waters
Which is a tectonic feature of coastal emergence?
Marine terrace
What is the final stage of a lagoon’s life cycle?
Merges with the mainland