IGCSE Coasts Waves

What creates ocean waves?

• The moon

• The spinning earth

• The wind

• Gravity

What is the top of the wave called?

• fetch

• crest

• trough

• swash

The fetch is...

• The mass of the wave

• The size of the wave

• The amount of damage a wave does to the shore

• The distance of ocean over which the wind blows

Swash is...

• What makes you clean

• The movement of water up a beach

• The movement of water down a beach

• The water that drains from the sand

Backwash...

• Builds a beach

• Destroys a beach

• Is the backwards distance a wave falls from the shore

• Is caused by the force from the wind

If backwash > swash

• The beach will be steep

• The beach will be gentle

• It is impossible to tell if the backwash will be larger

• This never happens, the swash is always larger than the backwash

Which type of wave causes more coastal damage?

• Constructive

• Destructive

• Ones with long wavelengths

• Ones where the swash is weak