Tides and Waves

These flashcards cover key concepts regarding tides and waves, including definitions, differences between wave types, and phenomena related to marine biology.

What is frequency in the context of tides and waves?

The number of peaks/troughs passing a fixed point in one second.

What is wave height (H)?

The overall vertical change in height between a crest and a trough.

What is amplitude (A)?

Half the wave height.

What is wavelength in the context of waves?

The distance between two successive peaks or troughs.

What does wave period (T) refer to?

The time period passing between two successive peaks or troughs.

How are waves formed?

Waves are formed when energy is transferred to a body of water, typically by wind or the moon’s gravitational pull.

What are the two restoring forces for waves?

Gravity and surface tension.

What characterizes surface waves?

Surface waves are generated via wind as it moves over a body of water.

What happens to the wave orbitals in shallow water?

They start to interfere with the seafloor, altering the properties of the wave.

What is the difference between deep water waves and shallow water waves?

Deep water waves do not interfere with the sea floor, while shallow water waves do.

What are swells in the context of deep water waves?

Swells are longer waves that travel faster, carry more energy, and reach the shoreline first.

What are constructive and destructive interference in wave behavior?

Constructive interference occurs when crests/troughs are in phase, while destructive interference occurs when they are out of phase.

What are the three main types of shallow water waves?

Spilling breakers, plunging breakers, and surging breakers.

What causes tsunamis?

Tsunamis are caused by offshore earthquakes displacing the seabed.

What are diurnal tides?

Tides that consist of one high and one low tide per day.

What are neap tides?

Tides that occur when the Sun and Moon are at right angles, resulting in the smallest tidal range.

What is the Coriolis effect?

The apparent deflection of air or water from its path as seen by an observer on Earth due to the Earth's rotation.

What is the amphidromic system?

A tidal wave system where water rotates about a fixed point, the amphidromic point, in opposite directions in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

What is exposure in relation to shorelines?

Exposure describes the amount of energy a shoreline receives from waves.

What influences zonation on a shore?

Upper limits are typically governed by abiotic factors, while lower limits are influenced by biotic factors.

What characterizes reflective beaches?

Beaches with a steep profile, coarser sediments, and greater energy reception.

What characterizes dissipative beaches?

Beaches with a shallow profile, finer sediments, and lower energy reception.