Oceans, Coasts, and Coastal Hazards Explained — Currents, Tides, Shoreline Processes & Sea-Level Rise | Chapter 18 from Earth: Portrait of a Planet
Oceans, Coasts, and Coastal Hazards Explained — Currents, Tides, Shoreline Processes & Sea-Level Rise | Chapter 18 from Earth: Portrait of a Planet How do ocean currents, waves, and tides shape our coasts—and how are human actions and climate change transforming shorelines worldwide? Chapter 18 of Earth: Portrait of a Planet by Stephen Marshak dives deep into the science of ocean basins, coastal dynamics, and modern hazards. For a podcast summary, watch the chapter video on YouTube , or read below for a comprehensive exploration. Ocean Basins and Bathymetry Ocean basins feature mid-ocean ridges, abyssal plains, trenches, fracture zones, seamounts, and guyots—shaped by tectonic processes and plate movement. Bathymetry (underwater topography) determines patterns of ocean circulation and the distribution of marine life. Physical Properties of Seawater Salinity, temperature, and density vary with depth, forming haloclines and thermoclines that influence vertic...