Resources For Earth Sciences and Geography Instruction


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Other Resource Links: E: Coastal Animations Links
  1. LINK ORBITAL MOTION IN DEEP WATER
    DESCRIPTION From Exploring Earth Series, the Flash animation is useful for countering a common student belief that water molecules in swells travel significant distances downwind. In reality, water molecules in a deep water environment move mainly in place with a circular motion. Currents are chiefly responsible for moving water molecules significant distances. The animation can be paused and rewound to emphasize important points.
  2. LINK ARCH FORMATION
    DESCRIPTION From Exploring Earth Series, this Flash animation was designed to report on how aeolian processes create a terrestrial arch. Given some similarities in wind and water erosion, however, the animation is useful for showing how a sea arch can form. The effect of jointing upon the erosion process is emphasized. The animation can be paused and rewound to emphasize important points.
  3. LINK BAYMOUTH BAR FORMATION
    DESCRIPTION From McGraw Hill, The Flash animation recounts how a spit, caused by longshore drift, eventually seals off an embayment, forming a baymouth bar. Access the animation by clicking on the `Spits and Baymouth Bars` link.
  4. LINK COASTAL LAND LOSS ANIMATION
    DESCRIPTION from USGS, find a movie in the Real Media format depicting significant wetland lost along the Louisiana coast due to leveeing and other modifications of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers. Unlike many of the animations present in this section, the spatial patterns depicted here result from sediment starvation.
  5. LINK COASTAL STRAIGHTENING
    DESCRIPTION From the McGraw Hill, though this Flash animation is rather small, it is useful to see the formation of cliffs and arches from eroded headlands, Access the animation by clicking on the `Coastal Straightening ` link.
  6. LINK LAND LOSS ANIMATION
    DESCRIPTION from USGS, find a movie in the Real Media format depicting significant wetland lost along the Louisiana coast due to leveeing and other modifications of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers. Unlike many of the animations present in this section, the spatial patterns depicted here result from sediment starvation. `The river delivered 463 million tons of sediment a year between 1930 and 1952, but beginning in 1963, the sediment load dropped to 141 million tons.`
  7. LINK MISSISSIPPI DELTA LAND LOSS ANIMATIONS
    DESCRIPTION from USGS National Wetlands Research Center, find a series of animated gifs depicting significant wetland lost along the Louisiana coast due to leveeing and other modifications of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers. The home site for these animations, “LA Coast” has a wealth of information on wetland depletion, development issues, slide shows, photos, 360 degree virtual reality video clips, and a kids corner
  8. LINK MOTION IN DEEP AND SHALLOW WATER
    DESCRIPTION From McGraw Hill, this Flash animation pictures wave motion cross section for deep water and surf zones. As wavelength becomes half of wave depth, wavelength shortens, wave height increases, and the wave becomes unstable, eventually breaking within the surf zone. Swash and backwash motion are visible. Access the animation by clicking on the “Orbital Motion in Shallow Water” link.
  9. LINK Ocean wave simulator
    DESCRIPTION PBS, Manipulate how fetch, wind speed, and duration impact wave height.
  10. LINK ORBITAL MOTION IN DEEP WATER ORORBITAL MOTION IN DEEP WATER
    DESCRIPTION From Exploring Earth Series, the Flash animation is useful for countering a common student belief that water molecules in swells travel significant distances downwind. In reality, water molecules in a deep water environment move mainly in place with a circular motion. Currents are chiefly responsible for moving water molecules significant distances. The animation can be paused and rewound to emphasize important points.
  11. LINK RISE AND DISAPPEARANCE OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA
    DESCRIPTION New Orleans Times-Picayune,An outstanding 7-minute video from New Orleans Times-Picayune (data mostly from U.S.G.S. and Tulane Univ.) describes post-Pleistocene evolution of the Mississippi delta. The video shows how natural and human influences combine to make New Orleans so vulnerable to events like Katrina
  12. LINK SEASONAL BEACH DEPOSITION PATTERNS
    DESCRIPTION From McGraw Hill, a relatively simple Flash animation contrasting sediment transport during winter and summer. The summer is characterized by lower energy, longer wavelengths, and sediment accumulating on the beach face. In contrast, the storms of winter create higher energy waves, shorter wavelengths, and sediment deposited as bars offshore. Access the animation by clicking on the ` Seasonal Cycle of a Beach ` link.
  13. LINK SPIT FORMATION
    DESCRIPTION From Wycombe, this two step Flash animated slide show illustrates how a spit forms under the influence of longshore drift. As the longshore current passes a headland, it slows, and entrained sediment is deposited in a line down current of the headland.
  14. LINK WAVE EROSION IN TIME LAPSE
    DESCRIPTION `Examine an example of wave erosion. This series of images shows the demise of Jump-off Joe, a sea stack at Nye Beach, near Newport, Oregon. Sea stacks begin as part of a headland or sea cliff. Relentless pounding by waves erodes the softer, weaker parts of the rock first, leaving harder, more resistant rock behind. It took over 100 years to erode this sea stack to sand.`
  15. LINK WAVE MOTION
    DESCRIPTION From Exploring Earth Series, the Flash animation is useful for countering a common student belief that water molecules in swells travel significant distances downwind. In reality, water molecules in a deep water environment move mainly in place with a circular motion. Currents are chiefly responsible for moving water molecules significant distances. The animation can be paused and rewound to emphasize important points.
  16. LINK WAVES AND CURRENTS MOVIE
    DESCRIPTION from Wiley, the QuickTime movie with accompanying audio uses actual film footage to discuss wave mechanics in deep water and surf zones. There is a clear rendering of swash and backwash plus why longshore drift occurs. Due to a large file size, the animation loads slowly.
   

 

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