Coasts and Beaches Midterm 1 Definitions

Absolute Sea Level Rise

Global Sea Level Rise

Relative Sea Level Rise

Local Sea Level Rise

Living Shorelines

Shorelines that use organisms such as coral and mangroves for protection

Beach Cusps

Cells created along beaches from the pattern of sand transport

Active Margin

Tectonically active coast

Passive Margin

Tectonically inactive coast

Sea stacks

Created through cliff erosion

Marine Terraces

Flat areas created by erosion and tectonic uplift

At what rate is the sea level rising per year globally?

4mm

California is on a _____ margine

Active

How many mega cities are along coastlines?

8/10

We ___ build sea walls around cities perfectly fine

cannot

The moon revolves around the Earth in an ____

Ellipse

Are short term extreme events or the overall process of sea level rise more of a threat?

Short term extreme events

What is the composition of California’s coast?

Mountains and Cliffs: 13%

Marine terraces fronted by low bluffs: 59%

Coastal lowlands: 28%

How much would the sea level rise if all the ice caps melted?

216 feet

Two components needed for terrace formation

Uplifting coastlines and sea level rise/fall

Pholads

Mollusks that lived in holes in rocks that they expand as they grow

Pholad Importance

Dates when that part of the terrace was at high tide

How much of the global population lives on coastlines?

2/3

Beach cusps

Jagged cells created via sand transport

Water _____when warm

expands

Warm water is ____dense than cold water

Less

Shape of Earth orbit changes every:

100,000 years

What way do winds move in northern hemisphere hurricanes

counterclockwise

What is the direction of the path of the hurricane in the northern hemisphere?

Clockwise

Lowest lying country

Netherlands