Marine & Coastal Ecology: Physical Ocean Environment

Vocabulary review flashcards covering physical oceanographic processes, coastal geomorphology, tidal dynamics, ocean currents, and wave mechanics.

Coast

The zone where the land meets the sea or ocean, dynamically shaped by waves and the processes of erosion, transportation, and deposition.

Coastal Zone

The interface between land and water, characterized by continuous interactions where winds, waves, tides, and currents deposit sediment or erode rock.

Coastal Morphology

The study of natural ongoing processes at the shoreline and the impacts resulting from human interventions within the coastal zone.

Tides

The periodic, rhythmic rise and fall of the sea surface caused primarily by the gravitational pull of the Moon and, to a lesser extent, the Sun.

Tidal Range

The vertical difference in sea level between high tide and low tide, typically measuring around $2\,\text{m}$ along open coasts but reaching up to $16\,\text{m}$ in narrow inlets.

Mean Tide Level (MTL)

The average height of sea level over a complete tidal cycle, calculated as the mathematical average between mean high water (MHW) and mean low water (MLW).

Eustatic Changes

Global variations in sea level caused either by alterations in the total volume of ocean water (such as glacial ice melting) or by changes in the shape of ocean basins.

Ocean Current

A large volume of water flowing continuously in a defined path, composed of horizontal surface flows driven by wind and vertical flows driven by density differences.

Coriolis Effect

The deflection of moving air and water caused by Earth's rotation, deflecting fluids to the right (clockwise) in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left (counterclockwise) in the Southern Hemisphere, with zero deflection at the Equator.

Downwelling

The downward movement of surface water that occurs when wind-driven coastal currents push surface waters against a coast, forcing water downward.

Upwelling

The vertical ascent of deep, cold, nutrient-rich water to the sea surface occurring when surface winds push warmer surface waters offshore.

Thermohaline Circulation

Deep, vertical ocean circulation driven by density differences that are controlled by fluctuations in water temperature and salinity.

Rip Current

A strong, narrow surface current that flows seaward away from the shore, generated by pressure buildups from uneven water accumulation by breaking waves.

Turbidity

The measure of suspended particulate material held aloft in the water column, which increases as faster water velocity and greater turbulence resuspend bottom sediments.

Bed Load

Coarser sediment particles such as sand and gravel that travel along the bottom substrate via sliding, rolling, or saltation.

Fetch

The continuous horizontal distance over open water across which wind blows in a constant direction to generate waves.

Wave Crest

The highest elevation point on a wave profile above undisturbed sea level.

Wave Trough

The lowest depression point on a wave profile below undisturbed sea level.

Wavelength

The horizontal distance measured between two corresponding points on consecutive waves, such as crest to crest or trough to trough.

Constructive Wave

A low-energy wave with a long wavelength, low height under $1\,\text{m}$, low frequency ($6\text{ to }10\,\text{waves per minute}$), and strong swash that deposits material to form berms.

Destructive Wave

A steep, high-energy wave exceeding $1\,\text{m}$ in height with a short wavelength, high frequency ($10\text{ to }15\,\text{waves per minute}$), and strong backwash that scours and erodes beach sediment.

Swell

A series of regular, long-period, low-amplitude ocean waves that have travelled out of their stormy generating region into deeper, calmer water.

Surf

The turbulent white water produced when wave crests outrun their slowing bases in shallow coastal waters and plunge forward onto the beach.

Swash

The sheet of water that rushes up the beach slope after a wave breaks in the surf zone.

Backwash

The seaward return flow of water moving down the beach face under gravitational pull following wave swash.