GEOLOGY 322 - OCEAN SYSTEMS

Video 12 The Endless Voyage:
On the Coast

Coasts, General:

• What is it that draws people to the coast?
• What percent of the U.S. population lives near the coast?
• What sort of resources does the coast provide to humans?
• What is the problem with building on the coast?
• What are the 3 main factors that cause erosion of the coasts?

Defining the "Coast":

• What is the Army Corps of Engineers definition of a coast? 
• What is a "primary coastline" (as defined by Francis Shepherd)?
• Why is the Gulf of Mexico dominantly, a primary coastline?
• What is a "secondary coastline"?
• What tends to happen to "embayments" on a secondary coastline?
• What is an "emergent" coastline?  Where would you go to find one in the U.S.?
• What is a "submergent" coastline?  Where would you go to find one in the U.S.?
• What is the difference between a "low energy" and a "high energy" coastline?  Give an example of each in the U.S.

Putting it Together: 

• According to Eric Terrill of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, why is the East coast straight and flat in comparison to the coast of California?
• What does the formation of barrier islands have to do with sea-level change?
• What do barrier islands do as sea-level rises?

Coastal Policy: 

• How long have we been trying to conserve coastal resources?
• What is the problem with building infrastructure and homes on the coast?
• What are coastal managers, scientists and engineers attempting to do about coastal growth?  Are they successful?