Study Guide: Oceanography

Chapter 14: Fresh Water

Water and it’s properties

·         know percentage of salt water vs. fresh water

·         know how the amount of fresh water is broken up

·         describe a water molecule

·         what does it mean to be a polar molecule

o        what kind of charge does the hydrogen and oxygen atoms have

·         why does water have surface tension

·         why is it off for ice to be less dense then liquid water

·         at what temperature is water most dense

·         Explain what it means to be a universal solvent

·         What happens to polar and nonpolar molecules in water

·         Describe each of the processes in the water cycle

o        Be able to label a picture or draw a picture

Chapter 15:  Ocean Water

Ocean Water

·         what % of earth’s surface is ocean water

·         explain the origin of the oceans

·         what types of things are found in ocean water

o        dissolved gases, salts, elements

·         name the different salts in the ocean

·         What is salinity

o        What is the average salinity?  What affects the salinity in an area

·         What is a thermocline

·         What is the difference between the density of pure water and the density of salt water

·         What affects the density of salt water

·         What happens to the pressure as you go towards the center of the Earth

Ocean Currents

·         Why is water in constant motion

·         Explain the Coriolis Effect

·         What does the Coriolis Effect do to winds and surface currents

·         What is a gyre

o        What does a gyre do in the Northern Hemisphere?

o        What does a gyre do in the Southern Hemisphere?

·         What keeps deep currents in motion

·         What is upwelling

o        What kind of industries might like an area of upwelling

·         What is a shoreline current

·         Describe a longshore current, rip current, and undertow

o        How can one get out of a rip current

Waves

·         What is a wave

·         What gives wave their motion

·         What is a water particle actually doing in a wave

·         Label and describe the crest, trough, wave height, wave length, wave period

o        Be able to calculate wave speed, when waves will break

·         What happens to a wave as it reaches the shore

·         Why do some people build “breakwaters”

·         What is a tsunami

o        How fast can they travel, how high can they get?

Tides

·         What objects gravitational forces cause tides

o        Explain the difference between the affect of the Sun and Moon

·         Explain the “bulges” on the Earth the Moon creates

·         What causes the monthly tide cycles

·         Explain the water level in spring and neap tides

·         Explain the position of the Sun, Moon and Earth during spring and neap tides

o        Which moon phases are associated with spring and neap tides

Chapter 16:  Ocean Basin

Ocean Exploration

·         Explain what each vessel was used for:  Challenger, Meteor, Glomar Challenger, and JOIDES Revolution

·         Describe what each tool or method is used for

o        Coring, sonar, submersibles, and satellites

·         Why is it hard to map the ocean floor

·         What is a bathymetric map

o        What is an isobath

·         How does sonar and depth sounding help measure the depth

Ocean-Floor Topography

·         Name and describe the 4 different kinds of continental margins

·         Be able to label a diagram of the continental margins

·         Name and describe the 4 types of ocean-floor features

o        Abyssal plains, ridges, seamounts, and reefs

o        What is a guyout?  What is an atoll?

Life Zones in the Ocean

·         What factors affect ocean life

o        Sunlight, water pressure, water temp.

·         Name and describe the 3 different Horizontal Life Zones

o        What type of conditions will you find in each

·         Name and describe the 4 Vertical Life Zones

o        Explain which are light and which are dark

·         Know the terms:  Plankton, benthos, nekton, producers, consumers

Ocean Resources

·         Explain how fisheries, minerals and oil are all good ocean resources

o        What type of minerals are good ocean resources