OCN 320 WEEK 7 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

OCN 320 WEEK 7  CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Directions: Using Microsoft Word to save and submit your work, please complete the following assignment.  Check Your Understanding answers should show in depth knowledge of the topic by presenting information in at least two paragraphs per question.  Outside resources are highly recommended.

1.	How is an erosional coast different from a depositional coast?
2.	What features would you expect to see along an erosional coast?  A depositional coast?  What determines how long the features will last?
3.	What two processes contribute to longshore drift?  What powers longshore drift?  What is the predominant direction of drift on U.S. coast?  Why?
4.	What are some of the features of a sandy beach?  Are they temporary or permanent?  What is the relationship between wave energy on a coast and the size (or slope, or grain size) of beaches found there?
5.	How are deltas classified?  Why are there deltas at the mouths of the Mississippi and Nile rivers, but not at the mouth of the Columbia River?
6.	What is a coastal cell?  Where does sand in a coastal cell come from?  Where does it go?
7.	How are estuaries classified?  Upon what does the classification depend?  Why are estuaries important?
8.	Compare and contrast the U.S. west, east, and Gulf coasts.
9.	How do human activities interfere with coastal processes?  What steps can be taken to minimize loss of life and property along U.S. coasts?