Coastal Processes Quiz

Which of the following best describes a coastal sediment cell?

• An area where sediment is permanently deposited

• A stretch of coastline within which sediment movement is largely self-contained

• A zone where sediment is only eroded, never deposited

• The offshore area beyond the influence of waves

What is the term for the balance between sediment input and output in a coastal zone?

• Sediment equilibrium

• Coastal budget

• Sediment budget

• Littoral balance

What type of equilibrium describes a coastal environment that switches between two or more states due to a trigger event?

• Steady state equilibrium

• Dynamic equilibrium

• Meta-stable equilibrium

• Static equilibrium

How do groynes affect sediment movement within a coastal cell?

What is likely to happen if the sediment budget in a coastal cell decreases?

• Increased deposition along the entire coastline

• Formation of new barrier islands

• Erosion in some areas as waves continue to move limited sediment

• Complete cessation of all coastal processes

Which type of feedback in a coastal system amplifies effects and increases the amount of change?

• Negative feedback

• Positive feedback

• Neutral feedback

• Cyclic feedback

What causes spring tides?

• The Moon is at its closest point to Earth

• The Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned

• Strong offshore winds

• High atmospheric pressure

What happens to waves as they move from deep to shallow water?

• Their circular motion becomes more elliptical

• Their wavelength increases

• Their velocity increases

• The wave base deepens

How does wave refraction typically affect headlands and bays?

• It concentrates wave energy on headlands and reduces it in bays

• It reduces wave energy on headlands and concentrates it in bays

• It has no effect on wave energy distribution

• It only affects wave direction, not energy

During which part of the tidal cycle are current velocities typically at their maximum?

• At high tide

• At low tide

• In the middle of rising or falling tide

• Equally throughout the entire cycle