18 Oct The type of motion that characterizes ocean waves is:

The type of motion that characterizes ocean waves is:

 

shear

 

oscillatory

 

tensional

 

retrograde

 

Question 2As wave motion propagates in a progressive manner, what is the overall particle motion observed?

 

up and down

 

side to side

 

particle motion is the same as wave motion

 

shear motion

 

Question 3The depth of influence for a wave is:

 

one half its wavelength

 

two times its wavelength

 

one half its wave base

 

two times its wave base

 

Question 4The velocity of a wave as it propagates across a surface is known as:

 

Period

 

celerity

 

wavelength

 

amplitude

 

Question 5 Wave energy is concentrated in ________________ and dissipated in _______________________.

 

headland areas; embayments

 

embayments; headland areas

 

Question 6All of the following may potentially produce a tsunami except:

 

bad weather

 

earthquakes

 

glacial calving

 

volcanic eruption

 

Question 7The adjacent shallow marine waters along a beach is known as:

 

the foreshore

 

the nearshore

 

the backshore

 

the berm

 

Question 8A steep beach will display which feature?

 

sandbars

 

barrier islands

 

ridge and runnels

 

none of the above

 

Question 9Typically speaking, how many sandbars will be in the nearshore environment?

 

1

 

3

 

5

 

2

 

Question 10On the seaward side of the bar crest there is a ____________________ energy regime.

 

low

 

average

 

high

 

Question 11What kind of sediment would you most likely find on the landward side of a bar trough?

 

fine grained

 

well sorted

 

mature

 

coarse grained

 

Question 12Ridge and runnel systems only form on:

 

shallow gradient beaches

 

steep gradient beaches

 

Question 13The swash zone is located in which beach environment?

 

foreshore

 

nearshore

 

backshore

 

berm

 

Question 14At the base of the foreshore, where you find the coarsest grained sediment and shells is known as:

 

the storm ridge

 

the sandbars

 

the plunge step

 

the swash zone

 

Question 15Barrier islands are cross cut by:

 

overwash deposits

 

tidal flats

 

tidal inlets

 

barrier spits

 

Question 16The most unstable portion of a barrier island is the area closest to the:

 

landward margin

 

bay or lagoon

 

frontal dune ridge

 

tidal inlet

 

Question 17The largest barrier system anywhere on Earth is located where?

 

Gulf Coast US

 

East Coast India

 

West Coast US

 

East Coast US

 

Question 18Much of the sediment that has been deposited onto the continental shelf off our coastline comes from:

 

the weathering and erosion of mountains

 

the ocean itself

 

delta deposits

 

the barrier systems

 

Question 19 Because Earth has to play “catch up” with the moon in its orbit, tidal cycles are ________________________ each successive day (according to equilibrium tidal theory.)

 

50 minutes earlier

 

25 minutes earlier

 

50 minutes later

 

25 minutes later

 

Question 20Aphelion occurs on or around:

 

January 3rd

 

September 10th

 

July 4th

 

May 20th

 

Question 21The law of gravitation dictates that as objects decrease their distance from one another, their gravitational attraction :

 

increases

 

decreases

 

remains the same

 

Question 22The highest tides on Earth occur:

 

in the US

 

in Europe

 

in Canada

 

in Southeast Asia

 

Question 23Centrifugal force is a balancing force that is exerted when:

 

objects travel in straight paths

 

objects travel in curved paths

 

objects are at rest

 

none of the above

 

Question 24The Coriolis force bends winds and ocean currents (and consequently tides) because:

 

Earth rotates on its axis

 

The moon rotates at the same rate it revolves

 

The Sun is so massive

 

Earth is closer to the Sun at some point in its orbit

 

Question 25Large boulders that appear out of place and were left behind as a result of glaciation are known as:

 

kames

 

eskers

 

erratics

 

cirques

 

 

 

Question 26A glacier will always advance from its source area if the rate of accumulation is greater than the rate of:

 

subsidence

 

equilibrium

 

ablation

 

abruption

 

Question 27Cape Cod, Massachussetts and Long Island, New York are both examples of Pleistocene glacial ________________ that have been further built by wave deposited sands.

 

drumlins

 

kettles

 

eskers

 

end moraines

 

Question 28Sediments deposited directly by glaciers as they melt are characterized by:

 

uniformly coarse grain size

 

uniformly fine grain size

 

an absence of sorting

 

graded bedding

 

Question 29Sediment dropped by glacial ice is known as:

 

stratified drift

 

graded bedding

 

till

 

outwash

 

Question 30Outwash sediment is dominated by:

 

gravel and boulders

 

boulders and cobbles

 

pebbles and boulders

 

silt and clay

 

Question 31The term applied to various sizes of boulders that are commonly used in structural material to provide protection to the shoreline is:

 

gabions

 

longard tubes

 

rip-rap

 

jetties

 

Question 32Wire baskets filled with rocks are called:

 

gabions

 

longard tubes

 

rip-rap

 

jetties

 

Question 33One of the oldest and most successful seawall projects is located in:

 

New Orleans, LA

 

Biloxi, MS

 

Galveston, TX

 

Corpus Christi, TX

 

Question 34A structure built with the specific duty of dissipating wave energy before it reaches the shoreline is known as a:

 

groin

 

jetty

 

seawall

 

breakwater

 

Question 35A salient can be found behind which structural feature?

 

breakwater

 

jetty

 

groin

 

seawall

 

Question 36The difference between groins and jetties is the fact that jetties:

 

run parallel to the shoreline

 

do not interrupt the littoral drift of sediment

 

are typically smaller

 

are larger and found near tidal inlets