Section 3 material Lsu namikas Study
Guide Exam with Accurate Solutions
2025-2026 Edition.
coastal environments: significance - Answer - global population 2/3 of population line in
coastal zone
- economic activity/ infrastructure-harbors, recreation, resource extraction
- dynamic-tremendous amounts of energy moving through
- very young
coastal environments: littoral zone - Answer - littoral zone-section of coastal environment
where marine processes are capable of making changes
- offshore-water too deep to make changes
- nearshore-first of water zones
- surf zone-where waves are changing
- swash zone-where water rushes up & down coast with each wave
- foreshore-first of land zones, where land gets much steeper to low tide (tidal zone)
- backshore-beach area, cliffs, bluffs, sand dunes
coastal environments: tides - Answer - cyclic rise & fall of water
- low tide-flood tide-tide between low tide & high tide, water is rising
- high tide-ebb tide-tide between high tide & low tide, water is going back
- tidal range-distance between high tide & low tide (micro-small, meso-middle, macro-large,
hypertidal)
coastal environments: tide cycles - Answer - fundamental cause is gravity from moon, moon
gravity draws water to side of earth underneath moon, creates bulge on side of earth
- there is also a centrifugal force on the opposite side, earth and moon rotating around
- sun-also exerts gravitational attraction & creates tidal bulges, moon orbits earth (28 day cycle),
tidal bulges follow moon
- spring tide-sun, moon, & earth in straight line, tidal bulges on top of each other=highest high
tides & lowest low tides, largest tidal range
, coastal environments: wave parameters - Answer - wave crests-high point
- wave troughs-low points
- length-distance from crest to crest/ trough to trough (same distance)
- height-difference in elevation from crest to trough
- steepness-ratio of wave height:wave length
- period-how fast, time it takes for waves to travel 1 wave length
coastal environments: wave generation - Answer - solar energy-air heats up & expands &
rises (leaves space), air from surrounding area rushes in to fill space left behind (wind), creates
waves
- speed of wind-faster=more friction & higher waves
- duration-how long wind lasts, waves grow slowly over time, wind must persist for waves to
build up (weeks)
- fetch-distance of open water available for wind to blow across
coastal environments: wave orbits - Answer - water particles move in circular pathways
- travels one circle with each wave length that passes
- height & period determine how fast particle moves
- lower particles move more slowly, eventually flow is too slow to move sediment (wave base)
- wave base-outer boundary of littoral zone
- sediment can be moved=nearshore zone
coastal environments: wave shoaling - Answer - at shore=waves interact with sediment
- shoaling process-wave peaks & crashes
1. wave speed decreases at front when nearshore zone is reached
2. wave length decreases as back catches up
3. wave height increases
4. steepness increases
5. becomes over steepened & crashes
- wave period is constant
Guide Exam with Accurate Solutions
2025-2026 Edition.
coastal environments: significance - Answer - global population 2/3 of population line in
coastal zone
- economic activity/ infrastructure-harbors, recreation, resource extraction
- dynamic-tremendous amounts of energy moving through
- very young
coastal environments: littoral zone - Answer - littoral zone-section of coastal environment
where marine processes are capable of making changes
- offshore-water too deep to make changes
- nearshore-first of water zones
- surf zone-where waves are changing
- swash zone-where water rushes up & down coast with each wave
- foreshore-first of land zones, where land gets much steeper to low tide (tidal zone)
- backshore-beach area, cliffs, bluffs, sand dunes
coastal environments: tides - Answer - cyclic rise & fall of water
- low tide-flood tide-tide between low tide & high tide, water is rising
- high tide-ebb tide-tide between high tide & low tide, water is going back
- tidal range-distance between high tide & low tide (micro-small, meso-middle, macro-large,
hypertidal)
coastal environments: tide cycles - Answer - fundamental cause is gravity from moon, moon
gravity draws water to side of earth underneath moon, creates bulge on side of earth
- there is also a centrifugal force on the opposite side, earth and moon rotating around
- sun-also exerts gravitational attraction & creates tidal bulges, moon orbits earth (28 day cycle),
tidal bulges follow moon
- spring tide-sun, moon, & earth in straight line, tidal bulges on top of each other=highest high
tides & lowest low tides, largest tidal range
, coastal environments: wave parameters - Answer - wave crests-high point
- wave troughs-low points
- length-distance from crest to crest/ trough to trough (same distance)
- height-difference in elevation from crest to trough
- steepness-ratio of wave height:wave length
- period-how fast, time it takes for waves to travel 1 wave length
coastal environments: wave generation - Answer - solar energy-air heats up & expands &
rises (leaves space), air from surrounding area rushes in to fill space left behind (wind), creates
waves
- speed of wind-faster=more friction & higher waves
- duration-how long wind lasts, waves grow slowly over time, wind must persist for waves to
build up (weeks)
- fetch-distance of open water available for wind to blow across
coastal environments: wave orbits - Answer - water particles move in circular pathways
- travels one circle with each wave length that passes
- height & period determine how fast particle moves
- lower particles move more slowly, eventually flow is too slow to move sediment (wave base)
- wave base-outer boundary of littoral zone
- sediment can be moved=nearshore zone
coastal environments: wave shoaling - Answer - at shore=waves interact with sediment
- shoaling process-wave peaks & crashes
1. wave speed decreases at front when nearshore zone is reached
2. wave length decreases as back catches up
3. wave height increases
4. steepness increases
5. becomes over steepened & crashes
- wave period is constant
