Key Terms
abrasion (p. 313)
backshore (p. 310)
barrier islands (p. 318)
baymouth bar (p. 317)
beach (p. 310)
beach drift (p. 315)
beach face (p. 310)
beach nourishment (p. 322)
berms (p. 310)
breakwater (p. 321)
coast (p. 310)
coastline (p. 310)
emergent coasts (p. 329)
estuaries (p. 329)
eye (p. 326)
eye wall (p. 326)
foreshore (p. 310)
groin (p. 321)
hard stabilization (p. 320)
jetties (p. 320)
longshore currents (p. 315)
marine terrace (p. 316)
neap tides (p. 331)
nearshore zone (p. 310)
offshore zone (p. 310)
rip currents (p. 315)
sea arch (p. 317)
sea stack (p. 317)
seawall (p. 321)
shore (p. 310)
shoreline (p. 309)
spit (p. 317)
spring tides (p. 331)
storm surge (p. 327)
submergent coasts (p. 329)
surf (p. 312)
tidal current (p. 331)
tidal deltas (p. 331)
tidal flats (p. 331)
tides (p. 330)
tombolo (p. 317)
wave-cut cliffs (p. 316)
wave-cut platform (p. 316)
wave height (p. 311)
wavelength (p. 311)
wave period (p. 311)
wave refraction (p. 314)
G I V E I T S O M E T H O U G H T
Examine Figure 13.19. In what direction are beach drift and longshore currents moving sand—toward the top or toward the bottom
of the photo? How can you tell?
During a visit to the beach, you get in a small rubber raft and
paddle out beyond the surf zone. Tiring, you stop and take a rest.
Describe the movement of your raft during your rest. How does this
movement differ, if at all, from what you would have experienced if
you had stopped paddling while in the surf zone?
Refer to Figure 13.23A, a color-enhanced infrared image of Hurricane Katrina. Assume that the eye makes landfall exactly along the
90
th meridian (the vertical green line extending through the storm).
Which of the following statements is most accurate? Explain your
answer.
a. The storm surge will be greater west of the 90
th meridian.
b. The storm surge will be greater east of the 90
th meridian.
c. There is no way to make an educated guess about which side will
have the bigger storm surge.
3
2
1
You and a friend set up an umbrella and chairs at a beach. Your
friend then goes into the surf zone to play Frisbee with another
person. Several minutes later, your friend looks back toward the
beach and is surprised to see that she is no longer near where the
umbrella and chairs were set up. Although she is still in the surf
zone, she is 30 or 40 yards away from where she started. How
would you explain to your friend why she moved along the shore?
A friend wants to purchase a vacation home on a barrier island.
If consulted, what advise would you give your friend?
Great damage and significant loss of life can take place a day or
more after a hurricane has moved ashore and weakened. When this
occurs, what is the likely cause?
The force of gravity plays a critical role in creating ocean tides. The
more massive an object, the stronger its pull of gravity. Explain why
the Sun’s influence is only about half that of the Moon’s, even
though the Sun is much more massive than the Moon.
7
6
5
4
333
Companion Website
Companion Website
www.mygeoscienceplace.com
The Essentials of Geology, 11e companion Website contains numerous multimedia resources accompanied by assessments
to aid in your study of the topics in this chapter. The use of this site's learning tools will help improve your understanding
of geology. Utilizing the access code that accompanies this text, visit www.mygeoscienceplace.com in order to:
• Review key chapter concepts.
• Read with links to the Pearson eText and to chapter-specific web resources.
• Visualize and comprehend challenging topics using the learning activities in GEODe: Essentials of Geology and the
Geoscience Animations Library.
• Test yourself with online quizzes.
abrasion (p. 313)
backshore (p. 310)
barrier islands (p. 318)
baymouth bar (p. 317)
beach (p. 310)
beach drift (p. 315)
beach face (p. 310)
beach nourishment (p. 322)
berms (p. 310)
breakwater (p. 321)
coast (p. 310)
coastline (p. 310)
emergent coasts (p. 329)
estuaries (p. 329)
eye (p. 326)
eye wall (p. 326)
foreshore (p. 310)
groin (p. 321)
hard stabilization (p. 320)
jetties (p. 320)
longshore currents (p. 315)
marine terrace (p. 316)
neap tides (p. 331)
nearshore zone (p. 310)
offshore zone (p. 310)
rip currents (p. 315)
sea arch (p. 317)
sea stack (p. 317)
seawall (p. 321)
shore (p. 310)
shoreline (p. 309)
spit (p. 317)
spring tides (p. 331)
storm surge (p. 327)
submergent coasts (p. 329)
surf (p. 312)
tidal current (p. 331)
tidal deltas (p. 331)
tidal flats (p. 331)
tides (p. 330)
tombolo (p. 317)
wave-cut cliffs (p. 316)
wave-cut platform (p. 316)
wave height (p. 311)
wavelength (p. 311)
wave period (p. 311)
wave refraction (p. 314)
G I V E I T S O M E T H O U G H T
Examine Figure 13.19. In what direction are beach drift and longshore currents moving sand—toward the top or toward the bottom
of the photo? How can you tell?
During a visit to the beach, you get in a small rubber raft and
paddle out beyond the surf zone. Tiring, you stop and take a rest.
Describe the movement of your raft during your rest. How does this
movement differ, if at all, from what you would have experienced if
you had stopped paddling while in the surf zone?
Refer to Figure 13.23A, a color-enhanced infrared image of Hurricane Katrina. Assume that the eye makes landfall exactly along the
90
th meridian (the vertical green line extending through the storm).
Which of the following statements is most accurate? Explain your
answer.
a. The storm surge will be greater west of the 90
th meridian.
b. The storm surge will be greater east of the 90
th meridian.
c. There is no way to make an educated guess about which side will
have the bigger storm surge.
3
2
1
You and a friend set up an umbrella and chairs at a beach. Your
friend then goes into the surf zone to play Frisbee with another
person. Several minutes later, your friend looks back toward the
beach and is surprised to see that she is no longer near where the
umbrella and chairs were set up. Although she is still in the surf
zone, she is 30 or 40 yards away from where she started. How
would you explain to your friend why she moved along the shore?
A friend wants to purchase a vacation home on a barrier island.
If consulted, what advise would you give your friend?
Great damage and significant loss of life can take place a day or
more after a hurricane has moved ashore and weakened. When this
occurs, what is the likely cause?
The force of gravity plays a critical role in creating ocean tides. The
more massive an object, the stronger its pull of gravity. Explain why
the Sun’s influence is only about half that of the Moon’s, even
though the Sun is much more massive than the Moon.
7
6
5
4
333
Companion Website
Companion Website
www.mygeoscienceplace.com
The Essentials of Geology, 11e companion Website contains numerous multimedia resources accompanied by assessments
to aid in your study of the topics in this chapter. The use of this site's learning tools will help improve your understanding
of geology. Utilizing the access code that accompanies this text, visit www.mygeoscienceplace.com in order to:
• Review key chapter concepts.
• Read with links to the Pearson eText and to chapter-specific web resources.
• Visualize and comprehend challenging topics using the learning activities in GEODe: Essentials of Geology and the
Geoscience Animations Library.
• Test yourself with online quizzes.