BJU Earth Science Chapter 14

Tides

The alternating rise and fall of local sea level

Spring

A higher than usual tide that occurs twice a month

Trough

The lowest part of a wave

Breaker

an unstable wave whose crest is falling forward

Longshore current

a current resulting from waves breaking at an angle to the shore

Rip Current

a strong, narrow surface current that carries water from the shore to the sea

Hook

a spit with a sharp bend

Tombolo

a wave deposit that connects an island or a stack with the mainland

Gyre

a circular flow of currents within an ocean basin

Upwelling

cold water rising to the surface

moon

what has the greatest influence in causing the tides?

two low tides two high tides

How many tides do most coasts have in a day?

the sun, moon, and earth, are in a straight line

What is the cause of the very high spring tides that occur twice a month?

Gulf Stream

The major warm current that is in the West Atlantic Ocean

Ekman Spiral

What combines the effects of the Coriolis effect, current speed, and water depth to produce the direction of the current?

European Eels, Humpback Whales, Plankton

Which forms of sea life use the ocean currents to move?

the Center

Where is sea level the highest in an ocean gyre?

Oxygen

Water that is forced down by downwelling has more _______________________but less nutrients than the surrounding waters

Downwelling, Ekman spiral effect, and density differences

What 3 things have the greatest effect on subsurface currents?

Thermohaline currents

Which type of currents are subsurface currents and density currents?

wave base

the deepest depth below the ocean's surface that is affected by a wave

period

Wave speed is directly related to the wave __________________

rip currents

What probably causes the most drownings?

Neap Tides

lower than usual tides that occur twice each month

man's carelessness and a strong oceanic gyre

What are two causes the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

Turbidity current

what type is a type of density current that carries a lot of sediment and acts like an underwater mudslide

Wavelength

the horizontal distance from the crest of one wave to the crest of the next wave

fetch

the distance that wind blows over the water's surface in one direction

stack

a mass of rock that has been cut off from the mainland by erosion

Tsunami

What are the large waves caused by earthquakes

tidal wave

the regular changes in sea level caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon

Groins

What are sometimes constructed along the coastlines because they disrupt longshore currents, which helps to reduce beach erosion

it pulls up nutrients that support phytoplankton which is the basis of the marine food chain

How does Upwelling help make very productive fisheries?

TRUE

True or False: the moon's gravity causes the ocean to rise on just the near side of the earth

Small

Are the power plants designed to harness the power of tidal changes large or small?

Prevailing Westerlies

winds that blow on an angle towards the poles, pushing surface water in a eastern direction

Rotation

Currents are affected by the ____________________ of the earth

False

True or False: due to Kuroshia (Japan) Current, western Canada is colder than eastern Siberia

desert

Cold ocean currents along a coast can dry the air so much that a __________________ forms

False

True or False: Upwelling has been observed only near the equator due to its lower than average sea level

Short

Waves usually move water a _____________________ distance

the Longest waves

What kind of waves have the greatest speeds?