Ch3 Estuary Flashcards
(35 cards)
What drives surface ocean currents?
driven by global wind patterns and earth’s rotation (coriolis effect).
What are the types of ocean currents?
Warm currents and cold currents.
What drives deep ocean currents?
Thermohaline circulation.
What causes thermohaline circulation?
Density differences (due to temperature and salinity differences).
How does water move in thermohaline circulation?
Water flows from high-density to low-density areas, combining surface and deep currents into a global ‘thermohaline loop’.
What does the thermohaline loop do?
It drives the movement of ocean water from equator to poles and back.
What is the Coriolis effect?
An apparent force caused by Earth’s rotation. deflects the path of moving oceans and currents
How does the Coriolis effect influence currents?
Northern Hemisphere → deflects to the right. Southern Hemisphere → deflects to the left.
What is the role of satellite data in ocean studies?
Altimeter and scatterometer data help visualize ocean currents globally.
How is a river system divided?
Into three courses.
Where is the upper course of a river?
Near the source of the river.
What are the features of the upper course?
Steep slopes, high flow velocities → erosion of sediments.
What characterizes the middle course?
Changes in morphology, braided and meandering systems, both transport sediments.
What happens in the lower course of a river?
River connects to ocean → forms deltas, estuaries, lagoons.
What is a braided system?
Consists of multiple channels that shift with seasonal flow.
What is a meandering system?
SYSTEM that follows a winding path, shaped by erosion and deposition. It often forms oxbow lakes when loops get cut off
What causes waterfalls?
Formed by differential erosion (hard rock over soft rock).
What is an estuary?
A semi-enclosed coastal water body with free connection to the open sea, where sea water is measurably diluted by land derived freshwater
What is a coastal plain estuary?
A long, narrow inlet formed by rising sea levels.
What is a fjord?
A steep-sided, long, narrow inlet caused by glacial activity.
What is a lagoon?
A shallow water body separated from the sea by barrier islands or reefs.
What is a delta?
form at river mounths where sediments builds up creating new land
What is a ria?
coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley
What affects tidal wave speed?
Water depth, wave speed increases with depth.
