GEOL 106 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Lake Ontario, Estuary, Lidar
23 Mar 2018
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Document Summary
Coastal topography & plate tectonics: tectonically passive coasts are characterized by, wide continental shelves, barrier islands, sandy beaches, tectonically active coasts are characterized by, sea cliffs, rocky shorelines. Intermittent beaches: tectonically passive coasts, east coast of the usa and canada, canadian arctic, tectonically active coats, west coast of usa and canada. Coastal hazards: the most serious coastal hazards include, strong currents (rip currents and tidal currents, coastal erosion, storm surge, tsunamis. In the open ocean, water particles move in stationary circular orbits that get smaller to a depth of ca. 0. 5 times the wavelength: as waves enter shallow water, the circular orbits become ellipses, wavelength decreases and wave height increases until they break. Lives are lost every year when people are swept out to sea by rogue waves. In the open ocean, they can threaten ships. Sand is transported in the swash and surf zone on and off shore, and parallel to shore.
