Applied Coastal Oceanography (Sci366)
 Guidelines and Resources for Exams
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 General Guidelines for Exams
Students are expected to be familiar with terminology and concepts, and to demonstrate a basic mastery and understanding of all assigned materials, including textual reading and posted lecture outlines.

Examination will include short answer questions where students will construct
written responses; please bring a pen for writing these answers

Some questions will address problem-solving situations where students will need to understand the issue or problem, and to identify solutions and/or propose intervention strategies.

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 Specific Review Topics for Exam II (Final)

Exam covers lecture for Weeks 6-12 on the Course Outline (see links)
Reading Assignments are listed on the Course Outline

Topics NOT on exam - Week 6-Components of estuarine communities; Weeks 9-10-Coral Reef Biodiversity, Weeks 11-12-Oil spills, oil pollution research, Weeks 12-13-coastal management in New England, local zoning techniques, and Weeks 13-14-commerical opportunities (all categories), pollution abatement programs,

Exam Topics/Outline for Applied Coastal Oceanography - Final Exam 2007 Fall


All types of coasts of coasts are affected by 1st, 2nd, and 3rd order processes; emphasis will be placed on 3rd order processes: river, tidal, and wave action; East and West Coast differences will be stressed.

Estuaries

Estuaries and lagoons
where, why. and how do estuaries occur - glacial, differential erosion, role of rivers

Tidal ranges and tidal bores

Circulation:

Tidal flats
Salt marshes
Mangrove swamps Examples of estuaries: low to high energy coastal environments (use handout)

Deltas
Where, why, and how do deltas occur - sediment deposition dominates

Erosion vs. growth of a delta

Types of estuaries and their associated deltas

Human impact on deltas - things that enhance or reduce delta size


Beaches, dunes, and barriers
Beaches
Where, why, and how do beaches occur - sediment and wave currents

Beach processes Beach cycle

Dunes
Where, why, and how do dunes occur - wind and the accumulation of sand

Barrier Islands
Where, why, and how do barrier islands occur - wave action and accumulation of sediment

Rocky coasts
Where, why, and how do rocky coasts occur - high wave energy

pocket beaches

features (rock pools, erosion)

dynamics (importance of intertidal zone)


Harbor Management
Harbor Management Plans (HMPs): Ocean Dumping
    types of waste
    effects on ocean life
    effects on human health
    dredge spoils
            organic pollutants - hydrophilic or hydrophobic impacts

   
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Review of Coastal Ecology Issues
Components of Estuarine Communities
Refer to posted lecture and accompanying chapters for illustrations and explanations

Estuarine Communities
General features of estuarine communities
Specific characteristics of the following communities:
Seagrass Beds (e.g.,Eel Grass communities)
Mudflats
Salt Marshes
Mangrove Swamps
Salt Ponds
Rock Pools

For each of the biotic communities listed above, know the following:
Main characteristics of the ecosystem
Physical challenges to organisms (waves, currents, sediment, temperature, dessiccation)
Chemical variations (salinity, dissoved oxygen, nutrients)
Biological dynamics (main predators, relative shelter/exposure, biodiversity)
Sediment-dominated?  Wave dominated?
High energy or low energy habitats?

Planktonic or Benthic?
Grazing food chain dominant? Detrital food chain dominant?
Basic strategies for organisms in that environment?

Narragansett Bay Features

(See Web site for Links on Narragansett Bay)
Location, relative size, type of bay?
Biotic communities found in Narragansett Bay?
Pollution problems in Narragansett Bay?
Protection programs for the Bay?
Fishing resources in the Bay?

Fisheries Issues
Refer to posted lecture and accompanying chapters
How seriously endangered are the world's fisheries?
How are the fisheries connected to coastal zone management?
What are some strategies for managing fisheries better?  What seems to work best?
Who are the "stakeholders" in fisheries management?

<>Legal Infrastructure
Refer to posted lecture and accompanying chapters
Be familiar with examples of federal and state laws, regulations, and agencies
(Be able to describe one federal and one state coastal agency and program)
What are some important international agreements (protocols/conventions)?
What are at least two of the main U.S. laws for protecting coastlines?

What role does the United Nations play in protecting coastal regions?

Team Web Presentations

Be familiar with each of the presentation web sites, and with the habitats, land use issues, human impacts, and effects on biodiversity
that were identified by each team.
(Web sites are available via links on the Team Presentation Web Page)
http://web.bryant.edu/~langlois/coastal/copresent.htm

Terminology
(Use the glossary terms with each lecture, along with terms included in the notes above)
 


Take Home Question (10 points) - Prepare ahead, word processed, bring with you to exam (limit 2 pages)

Choose a storm evacuation plan for a New England coastal region (essentially anywhere from New York to Maine). Describe the plan and how it would work, including the coastal dynamics of the area, the magnitude of the effort (i.e., how many residents, road system in place, destinations,
design flaws, etc.)  Then discuss how well the plan has been marketed to the residents who are most likely to be affected.
Conclude with some recommendations as to how this plan could be adapted to become more effective or better understood. 
(In general, the more precise the area, the easier the question is to answer, but the location to be analyzed is your choice). 
Here are some links that will serve as examples of information sources:

<>NOAA Website
http://www.thecrcenter.com/archives/category/noaa/

Storm Surges (National Hurricane Center site)
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/storm_surge.shtml

<>Preparedness (National Hurricane Center site)
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/disaster_prevention.shtml

New York City and Long Island Storm Evacuation Plans
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8D1K3F00&show_article=1
http://assembly.state.ny.us/member_files/092/20050915/
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/newyork/science/art25797.html
http://jmcarroll-marinebio.blogspot.com/2006/05/experts-warn-of-new-england-hurricane.html


Rhode Island Emergency Planning
http://www.riema.ri.gov/evacuation/hurricane_evac.php

Massachusetts Emergency Planning
http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eopsagencylanding&L=3&L0=Home&L1=Public+Safety+Agencies&L2=Massachusetts+Emergency+Management+Agency&sid=Eeops

Connecticut Emergency Planning
http://www.ct.gov/demhs/taxonomy/ct_taxonomy.asp?DLN=42956&demhsNav=|42956|

New Hampshire Emergency Planning
http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/bem/Planning/index.html

Maine Emergency Planning
http://maine.gov/mema/prepare/
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REMINDER
ON THIS EXAM, IT IS IMPORTANT TO BLEND INFORMATION LEARNED FROM 
LECTURES, DISCUSSION AND TEXTUAL READINGS!


Home Page
Course Description
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Course Resources
Participants 
Team Presentations
Grades
 Exam II Review
Oil Spill Research
 Field Trips

copyright
Gaytha A. Langlois, Ph.D., 2002
Bryant College, Smithfield, RI 02917
e-mail: langlois@bryant.edu
Last Updated: December 2008