waves Flashcards
How does the wind create waves?
Frictional drag
What determines the size and energy of waves?
Length of a fetch
Whats a prevailing wind direction?
Direction the wind is travelling
Swell waves
Low and slow
Storm waves
Tall and fast
What movement do waves travel in
Orbital
Constructive waves have a … wavelength and … frequency
Long
Low
How many waves per minute- constructive
8-10
Constructive waves have … swash and … backwash
Strong
Weak
How many waves per minute- Destructive
10-14
How do destructive waves gain height?
When they break
What do destructive waves take away from the beach
Sediment and material
How does wave refraction work?
Waves break onto an irregularly shaped coastline
What is a tide cycle?
Periodic rise and fall of the sea surface produced by gravitational pull
Longshore currents
Waves approach the coastline at an angle, this transfers sediment parallel to the shoreline
Rip currents
Strong currents moving away from the shoreline as a result of buildup seawater, hazardous for swimmers
Warm ocean
Currents transfer heat from low latitudes to high latitudes
Cold ocean
Currents from high to low latitudes
Whats a sub-ariel process
collective term for weathering and mass movement
