| A | B |
|---|
| barrier island | a low, elongated ridge of sand that parallels the coast |
| beach | the accumulation of sediment found along the shore of a lake or an ocean |
| Coriolis effect | the apparent deflective force of Earth’s rotation on all free-moving objects, including the atmosphere and oceans; Deflection is to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. |
| density current | current of ocean water that results from density differences among water masses |
| fetch | the distance that the wind has traveled across open water |
| gyre | the large circular surface current pattern found in each ocean |
| longshore current | a near-shore current that flows parallel to the shore |
| neap tide | lowest tidal range, occurring near the times of the first-quarter and third-quarter phases of the moon |
| ocean current | mass of ocean water that flows from one place to another |
| spring tide | highest tidal range that occurs due to the alignment of Earth, the moon, and the sun |
| surface current | movement of water that flows horizontally in the upper part of the ocean’s surface |
| tidal range | the difference in height between successive high and low tides |
| tide | daily change in the elevation of the ocean surface |
| upwelling | the rising of cold water from deeper layers to replace warmer surface water that has been moved away |
| wave height | the vertical distance between the trough and crest of a wave |
| wave period | the time interval between the passage of successive crests at a stationary point |
| wave refraction | the process by which the portion of a wave in shallow water slows, causing the wave to bend and tend to align itself with the underwater contours |
| wavelength | the horizontal distance separating successive crests or troughs |
