2. Why are tsunami breaker heights so much larger than normal sea wave breaker heights?
Choice 1 Because tsunamis have much larger wavelengths than normal sea waves have.
 Choice 2 Because tsunamis travel much faster in the open ocean than do normal sea waves.
 Choice 3 Because tsunamis wave heights in the open ocean are so much larger than those of normal sea waves.
 Choice 4 All of the above are correct.

REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR COASTAL EROSION

Instructions: underlined and colored text is linked to an image that will help explain the concept in question. These images are popup windows that should be closed when you are done. To choose an answer, click the mouse on a blue button. A popup message will appear to indicate whether your choice is correct or not. Sometimes a popup message will also take you to another image when you click on OK. To escape these images, you must close the popup window.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. What aspect of a wave form influences its erosive power?

Choice 1 The wave length.
 Choice 2 The wave height.
 Choice 3 The wave base.
 Choice 4 All of the above influence the erosive power of a wave.
Choice 4 None of the above influences the erosive power of a wave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. What is the net result of wave refraction?
Choice 1 Wave energy is concentrated in the bay areas, causing beaches to form.
 Choice 2 Wave energy is concentrated along the headlands, causing these areas to erode fastest.
 Choice 3 Waves are forced to move around headlands, causing these area to erode the slowest.
 Choice 4 Waves are "bent" such that they strike perpendicular to the shoreline. 
Choice 4 None of the above is true.


 

4. What does the pattern of erosion along the United States coastline suggest?
Choice 1 The severity of coastal erosion is generally the same along all shorelines.
 Choice 2 The severity of coastal erosion is greatest in areas where the most people live.
 Choice 3 The pattern of coastal erosion reflects the variation in rainfall intensity.
 Choice 4 The pattern of coastal erosion reflects variations in land elevation changes caused by subsidence, uplift, etc.
 Choice 4 None of the above is correct.

 

 

 

 

5. Which of the following human activities can increase the rate of coastal erosion?
Choice 1 Pumping groundwater from a confined aquifer located near the coast.
 Choice 2 Constructing a dam along a river that leads to the ocean.
 Choice 3 Implementing soil conservation practices in a watershed adjacent to the coast.
 Choice 4 All of the above are true.
 Choice 4 None of the above is true.

 

 

 

6. At which of the following locations would you expect to find coastal erosion?
Choice 1 The "upcurrent" side of a groin, jetty, or breakwater.
Choice 2 An area of shoreline that is characterized by having a positive sediment budget.
 Choice 3 At the mouth of a river that empties into a bay.
 Choice 4 All of the above are true.
 Choice 4 None of the above is true.

 

7. Why might coastal erosion be more variable through time along lake shores than along marine coasts?
Choice 1 Because engineering structures are not allowed along lake shores.
 Choice 2 Because longshore currents only occur along marine coasts.
 Choice 3 Because lake shores experience seasonal changes in the severity of storms, and marine coasts do not.
 Choice 4 Because lake levels rise and fall with fluctuations in rainfall, whereas sea level is constantly rising..
8. Barrier islands:
Choice 1 were formed by the deposition of sand and gravel at the edge of continental ice sheets.
 Choice 2 are sand bars that have been exposed as sea level has dropped during the past 20,000 years.
 Choice 3 are subject to washovers during large storms and continually migrate towards the mainland.
 Choice 4 have been constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers to protect marine coasts from erosion.