Coasts Flashcards
What are prevailing winds?
usual direction wind travels in.
What is fetch?
distance the wind travels uninterrupted
What is frictional drag?
waves created by transfer of energy from wind to sea
What does strength and duration cause?
causes spatial duration, higher wave speeds and bigger waves.
What is a current?
permanent or seasonal movement of surface water in the ocean and seas.
How are Rip currents formed and how do they move?
strong currents moving away from the coastline.sea water piles up due to incoming waves.
Initially it flows parallel to the coast and flowing out through the breaker zone. (possibly at a headland)
what are longshore currents?
waves mostly hit coast at an angle creating a flow of water parallel to the shore, this moves water and sediment parallel to the shore.
What is upwelling?
Movement of cold water deep in the ocean towards the surface.dense cold water replaces the warmer water and created nutrient rich cold ocean currents.
What are tides?
periodic rise and fall of the sea caused by gravitational pull of the moon and sun(moon is stronger)
How does a high tide occur?
moon pulls water towards it, creating a high tide, makes a bulge of water on opposite side of planet due to the earth being pulled.
How does a spring tide occur?How many times?
when the moon and sun are lined up it creates a spring tide(largest tide)
twice a month.
What is a neap tide?When does it occur?
sun and moon are at a right angle.
20%-30% lower than normal tide
coastal attributes?
proccesses , controls, landscape
coastal attributes?
proccesses , controls, landscape
processes?
marine, terrestrial,biological and atmospheric
