1b)

Question 1

What are the 5 physical factors influencing coastal landscape systems?

Answer 1

• Winds
• Waves
• Tides
• Geology
• Global patterns of Ocean currents

Question 2

1) What/ why are waves?

2) Name two types:

Answer 2

1 - Created by the frictional drag of wind on the surface of the sea.

2 - local wind’s waves = sea waves
- distant storm’s waves = swell waves

Question 3

What three factors does the energy (kinetic and/or potential) of the waves depend upon?

Answer 3

• wind velocity
• duration (time over which wind blew over water)
• fetch (distance over which wind blew over water)

Question 4

Why does SW of England experience the most destructive waves?

Answer 4

• larger stretch of open sea (more fetch) and due to direction of prevailing winds.

Question 5

What are the characteristics of swell waves?

Answer 5

• As the swell wave advances, its crest becomes flattened and rounded and its surface smooth.
• Relatively long and regular periods.

Question 6

What type of wave is more likely to form from Swell?

Answer 6

I dunno lemme check and get back to you bro.

Question 7

Why/ how do waves break?

Answer 7

• waves move into shallower water
• friction between deepest circling water molecules and the seafloor increases
• bottom of wave slows down
• waves bunch up and wavelength decreases
• once water depth is less than 1.3×s the wave height, the wave breaks

Question 8

What are the 3 types of breaking waves?

Answer 8

• spilling
• plunging
• surging

Question 9

What is the slope like for the following breaking wave types?:

1) spilling
2) plunging
3) surging

Answer 9

1 - gentle slope

2 - moderately steep beach

3 - very steep

Question 10

Characteristics of constructive vs destructive waves:

1) Height:
2) Wavelength:
3) Frequency:
4) usually break as?:
5) why do they break as they do (more detail basically)?:
6) effect on beaches/sediment:

Answer 10

1) low VS tall.
2) long VS shorter.
3) low (6-8/minute) VS high (8-14/minute).
4) spilling (strong swash travels along way up the gently sloping beach)

VS

plunging (little forward energy transfer small swash; friction also slows the swash).

5) long-wavelength; backwash returns to the sea before the next week breaks so swash is uninterrupted and retains energy.

VS

short-wavelength; incoming swash is often slowed by the backwash as the backwash reaches at the same time.

6) tend to build up beaches and make them steeper.

VS

tend to transport sediment offshore thus decreasing the sediment.

Question 11

Equation for power wave height and wave period:

Answer 11

Power = (wave height)^2 x wave period

kW/ m of wavefront

Question 12

Crest

Answer 12

Highest surface part of a wave

Question 13

Wave height

Answer 13

Vertical distance between the crest and trough

Question 14

Wavelength

Answer 14

Horizontal distance between two adjacent crests/ troughs

Swell wave period = 20 seconds and long wavelength

Local storm wave period = shorter
Also short wavelength and greater height

Question 15

Still water level

Answer 15

Rest position of wave

Question 16

Trough length region

Answer 16

Length that wave travels below the still water level

Question 17

Crest length region

Answer 17

Length that wave travels above the still water level

Question 18

Depth

Answer 18

Distance between the still water level and the ocean bottom

Question 19

Trough

Answer 19

Lowest point of a wave

Question 20

What are Tides?

Answer 20

The regular rising and falling movements of the surface of the sea.

Question 21

How are tides formed?

Answer 21

• caused by gravitational pull of moon and sun on oceans
• moon has greatest influence lower gravitational pull but much closer
• creates outward bulge in oceans closest to moon and on other side of earth away from moon
• area between high tides = low tides
• When the moon is between earth and sun combined gravitational pull create biggest bulge of water cold spring tide
• When earth moon and sun form right angles gravitational pulls interfere with each other and produce the lowest high tides and the highest low tides; the smallest tidal range - these are called neap tides

Question 22

When do spring tides occur?

Answer 22

Shortly after new and full moon when the gravitational forces of sun and moon reinforce each other resulting in a higher than normal tidal range.

Question 23

When do neap tides occur?

Answer 23

After the moon is in its 1st and 3rd quarters when the gravitational forces are at right angles to each other in a lower than normal tidal range.

Question 24

What are tidal ranges like in enclosed seas?

Answer 24

Tidal ranges are low and so wave action is restricted to a narrow area of land i e Mediterranean.

Question 25

What are tidal ranges like in funnel coasts?

Answer 25

The tidal range can be as high as 14m, i.e. in the Severn estuary.

Question 26

Yeh

Answer 26

Chonglong