Reference no: EM13740325

1. Although they move across the deepest ocean basins, seiches and tsunami are referred to as "shallow-water waves."  How can this be?
2. How do particles move in an ocean wave?  How is that movement similar to or different from the movement of particles in a wave in a spring or a rope?  How does this relate to a stadium wave - a waveform made by sports fans in a circular arena?
3. What is the general relationship between wavelength and wave speed?  How does water movement in a wave change with depth?
4. How can a rogue wave be larger than the theoretical maximum height of waves in a fully developed sea?
5. How is a progressive wave different from a standing wave?  Must standing waves be orbital waves only, or can standing waves also form in shaken ropes or pushed-and-pulled springs?
6. How can large waves generated by a distant storm arrive at a shore first, to be followed later by small waves?
7. Although they move through all of the ocean, tides are referred to as shallow-water waves.  How can that be?
8. What are the most important factors influencing the heights and times of tides?  What tidal patterns are observed?  Are there tides in the open ocean?  If so, how do they behave?
9. How does the latitude of a coastal city affect the tides there - or does it?
10. From what you learned about tides in this chapter, where would you locate a plant that generated electricity from tidal power?  What would be some advantages and disadvantages of using tides as an energy source?
11. How is an erosional coast different from a depositional coast?
12. What features would you expect to see along an erosional coast?  A depositional coast?  What determines how long the features will last?
13. What two processes contribute to longshore drift?  What powers longshore drift?  What is the predominant direction of drift on U.S. coast?  Why?
14. What are some of the features of a sandy beach?  Are they temporary or permanent?  What is the relationship between wave energy on a coast and the size (or slope, or grain size) of beaches found there?
15. How are deltas classified?  Why are there deltas at the mouths of the Mississippi and Nile rivers, but not at the mouth of the Columbia River?
16. What is a coastal cell?  Where does sand in a coastal cell come from?  Where does it go?
17. How are estuaries classified?  Upon what does the classification depend?  Why are estuaries important?
18. Compare and contrast the U.S. west, east, and Gulf coasts.
19. How do human activities interfere with coastal processes?  What steps can be taken to minimize loss of life and property along U.S. coasts?