EARTHSC 2GG3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: British Columbia Coast, Coastal Erosion, Continental Shelf

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Earth Sciences
• Course: EARTHSC 2GG3
• Professor: Mark Moscicki

Document Summary

Coastal hazards: the landscapes where continents meet oceans are dynamic and capable of rapid change, major hazards include rip currents, erosion, sea level rise, storm surges, and tsunamis. Ex: british columbia coast: coastal topography is influence by the type of rock as well as the sediment deposited from rivers or glaciers. In the open ocean, the motion is circular: circles decrease in diameter with depth because energy decreases with depth. Irregularities in topography cause variations in wave height as they approach the shore. Irregular coastlines have headlands that the waves reach first; resultant waves are typically large and high energy: headland getting eroded by water and land pushed back to form beach. It lies within the swash zone (where waves repeatedly rush up and then back): surf zone: an area where waves move toward the shore after they break, breaker zone: an area where incoming waves peak and break.