Exam 2 Flashcards
Wave’s effect on coast
Erosion
Transportation
Deposition
Hydraulic action
Physical force of wave erodes shore
Abrasion
Wave carrying small rocks/ sand will score coastline
AKA transportation
Dissolution
Some rock types slowly dissolved by water
Change in sea level causes
Global volume change
Ocean basin change in volume
Local elevation change
Isostacy
Land depressed by large mass
Emergent coastline
Land rising
Erosional features
Active margins
Submergent coastline
Land sinking
Depositional features
Passive margins
Sediment budget
Seawalls
Coastal defense built to protect infrastructure from waves
Groins
Traps sediment and stops it’s movement along coastline
Deltas
Depositional features that form where river flows into ocean
Compound bond
Molecules with 2 or more different elements
Ionic bonds
Balance of negative and positive charges of different ions
Covalent bonds
Sharing of electrons between atoms to achieve stable structure
Important properties of water
Hydrogen bonds
High specific heat capacity
Universal solvent
Cohesion and adhesion
Water polarity
Oxygen side = negative charge
Hydrogen side = positive charge
Hydrogen bonds
Weak bond between molecules
Don’t form new molecules
Specific Heat capacity
Takes alot of energy to increase and decrease water temperature
Cohesion
Ability water molecules sick to each other
Adhesion
Ability of water molecules to stick to other substances
Density of water
Affected by:
Temperature
Salinity
Pressure
Dissolved gases
Nitrogen, oxygen,and carbon dioxide
Critical for marine life
Dissolved oxygen
Most concentrated at surface
Needed for photosyntnesis
Dissolved Carbon dioxide
High concentration at depth
Respiration and decomposition
Atmosphere
Layer of gas enveloping Earth
Atmospheric composition
Mainly nitrogen and oxygen
Convection circulation
Increase evaporation makes surface air warmer and moister
Solar energy concentration
Higher concentration at equator
Less concentration at poles
Hadley cells
Form at equator, north to south movement
Warm air rises and cools
Cooling air flows away and sinks
Polar cells
Form at both poles
Cool air in upper atmosphere sinks
Flows towards equator
Warms and rises
Ferrel cells
Form between Hadley and polar cells
Driven by rising polar cells and falling Hadley cells
Coriolis effect
Earth rotates faster at equator then at poles
Causes deflects of objects
Surface winds
Coriolis effect causes curved wind patterns
Dictate surface currents
Doldrums
Near equators
Area of low winds
Trade winds
Blow east to west between equator and 30 degrees
Horse latitudes
Area of low winds between Hadley and Ferrel cells
Westerlies
Blow west to east between 30 and 60 degrees
Polar easterlies
Blow east to west above 60 degrees
Boundary currents
Flow North to south along continental margins
Strongest currents
Downwelling
Water denser than surroundings sinks
Upwelling
Less dense water rises
Converge
Surface currents piling up due to wind
Diverge
Surface currents moving apart due to wind
Thermohaline circulation
Movements of currents due to change in temperature and salinity
EI Nino
Systematic shift in atmospheric pressure, sea surface temp, and ocean circulation in tropics
Non-el Nino conditions
Winds: east to west
Large convection loops in atmosphere
Pile-up of warm water near Indonesia
El Niño conditions
Decrease air pressure EP
Increase air pressure in WP
Weak equatorial winds
Creates storm conditions in normally arid regions
Deep water formation
2 deep water masses
Very dense from forming from cold salty water
