Earth Science Chapter 14-16

Energy moves through waves in...?

circular motion

Mixed zone

an area of the ocean surface with uniform temperature created by the mixing of water by waves, currents, and tides

Calcareous ooze is an example of...?

biogenous sediment

The movement of water within the surf zone that parallels the shore is called...?

longshore current

Salinity

salt

Biogenous Sediment

seafloor sediment of biological origin, such as shells and skeletons of marine life

During which season does primary productivity reach its peak in the polar oceans...?

summer

In temperate oceans, primary productivity is limited by...?

sunlight and nutrients

Sediments that consist of mineral grains that were eroded from continental rocks are called...?

terrigenous

Continental Margin

that portion of the continental floor adjacent to the continents; it may include the continental shelf, continental slope, and continental rise

Which ocean basin is the largest?

the Pacific

Beach

the accumulation of sediment found along the shore of a lake or an ocean

Bathymetry

the measurement of ocean depths and the charting of the shape or topography of the ocean floor

Submersible

a small underwater craft used for deep sea research

Food chain

a succession of organisms through which food energy is transferred, starting with primary producers

Phytoplankton are usually found in the...?

photic zone

Which term describes the upper part of the ocean into which sunlight penetrates?

photic zone

Organisms that drift with the ocean are called...?

plankton

Which process does NOT lead to a decrease in the salinity of water?

precipitation

Plankton

organisms (algae, animals, and bacteria) that drift with ocean currents

Benthos

organisms living on the bottom of the ocean floor

Nekton

organisms that can move independently in the ocean (squid, and other, marine organisms)

The three types of ocean floor sediments are classified according to their...?

origin

Benthic zone

other marine life zones that includes any sea bottom surface regardless of its distance from shore

Submarine canyons are believed to have been created by...?

rivers during the ice age

Chemosynthesis

the process by which certain microorganisms use chemical energy to produce food

Seafloor Spreading

the process by which plate tectonics produce new oceanic lithosphere at ocean ridges

The energy and motion of most waves is derived from...?

wind

Prynocline

a layer of water in which there is a rapid change of density with depth

barrier islands

a low, elongated ridge of sand that parallels the coast

longshore current

a near shore current that flows parallel to the shore

Trophic level

a nourishment level in a food chain

What factors can lead to an increase in the height of this wave?

1. Wind speed 2. Length of time the wind has blown 3. Fetch

What is the range of salinity for surface waters in the open ocean?

33 to 38%

What percentage of Earth's surface is covered by water?

71%

Describe the effect that cold ocean currents have on the climates of adjacent land areas.

As cold water currents travel toward the equator, they help moderate the warm temperatures of adjacent land areas

From which area of the ocean basin are the resources of oil and natural gas harvested?

Continental shelf.

Explain the process by which hydrogenous sediments are formed.

Crystallize directly from sea water through chemical reaction

Barrier islands form as a direct result of...?

Deposition

What current disadvantages exit to using gas hydrates as a form of energy?

Gas hydrates evaporate quickly when brought to surface.

Explain how the salinity of water in polar regions varies seasonally.

In Polar Regions, the salinity of water varies seasonally because: in summer, ice melts and salinity decrease, in winter, ice forms and salinity increases;

Why is multibeam sonar more efficient than simple sonar at collecting data from the ocean floor?

In contrast to simple sonar, multibeam sonar uses more than one sound source and listening device. This technique obtains a profile of a narrow strip of ocean floor rather than obtaining the depth of a single point every few seconds.

Why is Earth called the "blue planet?'

Nearly 71 percent of Earth's surface is covered by the global ocean

In which ocean basin are most trenches found? Why?

Pacific ocean because trenches occur in the subduction zones and the Pacific contains most of them

Compare and contrast phytoplankton and zooplankton

Phytoplankton, such as diatoms, are producers able of photosynthesis in surface waters, while zooplankton, such as fish, are consumers.

Where and how is the densest water in all the oceans formed?

Processes that increase the salinity of water include evaporation and formation of se ice. The salinity of water increases as you go to the bottom of the ocean.

Why is salinity expressed in parts per thousand instead of percent?

Salinity is expressed in parts per thousand because the proportion of dissolved substances in seawater is very small.

What are the uses for sand and gravel harvested from the continental shelf?

Sand + gravel are used to make concrete, land fill and fill recreational beaches.

What is the principle source of water in the oceans? Why do scientists reach this conclusion?

Scientists think that the principle source of water in the oceans is water vapor that came from Earth and have been emitted into the atmosphere through volcanic eruptions during much of geologic time. They reached this conclusion because certain elements exist in the ocean in greater quantities than could be explained by weathering of rocks alone

Why is it uncommon to find calcareous ooze in deep ocean basins?

Shells start to dissolve, 4500m. they completely dissolve . Collect on bottom ocean floor.

The use of sound waves to determine the depth of the ocean is called...?

Sonar

What factors may affect the depth of the photic zone in any given area of the ocean?

Suspended sediment, the amount of plankton, decaying organic particles in the water

What is the difference between terrigenous sediments and biogenous sediments?

Terrigenous sediment is derived from eroded rocks on land. Biogenous sediment is produced from biological origin

Compare and contrast the Atlantic ocean basin and the Pacific ocean basin

The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean and the largest simple geographic feature on Earth. It is also the world's deepest ocean. The Atlantic Ocean is about half the size of the Pacific Ocean and is not as deep. The Atlantic is more narrow than the Pacific. They are both bounded to the east and west by continents

What is the oceanic zone? What limits the amount of production in the oceanic zone?

The oceanic zone is the area beyond the continental shelf. The limits in the amount of production in the oceanic zone are due to low nutrients concentrations.

What is the difference between the pelagic zone and the benthic zone?

The pelagic zone i the open ocean of any depth. The benthic zone is any ocean bottom, whatever the distance from shore is.

Submarine Canyon

a seaward extension of a valley that was cut on the continental shelf during a time when sea levels

How does the permanent thermocline in tropical oceans affect primary productivity in those areas?

There are very few organisms, which causes a lack of nutrients, and the permanent thermocline limits the mixing between nutrient-poor surface waters and nutrient-rich deeper waters.

Is there a thermocline present in high-latitude ocean waters? Why or why not?

There is no thermocline present in high-latitude ocean waters because surface waters are cooler. The temperature is similar to that of deeper waters, so there is no rapid change in temperature.

What role do oceans currents play in maintaining Earth's heat balance?

They transfer heat from the tropics to the polar regions

Compare and contrast deep ocean trenches and mid oceanic ridges

Trench: very deep, elongated cavity bordering a continent or an island arc; it forms when one tectonic plate slides beneath another. Ridge: underwater mountain range that is formed by rising magma in a zone where two plates are moving apart

Describe coastal upwelling and the effect it has on fish populations.

Upwelling brings greater concentrations of dissolved nutrients to the ocean surface. These nutrient enriched waters from below promote the growth of microscopic plankton, which in turn supports extensive populations of fish and other marine organisms.

What results from wave refraction?

Wave energy is concentrated on headlands projecting into the water

Where do baymouth bars form across bays?

Where currents are weak

When waves grow so tall that they topple over, they from ocean breakers called...?

Whitecaps

Mid Ocean Ridge

a continuous elevated zone on the floor of all major ocean basins and varying from 1,000 to 4,000 kilometers

Turbidity Current

a downslope movement of dense, sediment laden water

Gas Hydrates

a gas, such as methane, trapped in a lattice like structure of water molecules

Food web

a group of interrelated food chains

Thermocline

a layer of water in which there is a rapid change in temperature with depth

Sonar

an electronic depth surrounding mechanism; it calculates ocean depth by recording the time it takes for an energy pulse to reach the ocean floor and return

Seamounts

an isolated volcanic peak that rises at least 1,000 meters above the deep ocean floor

Zooplankton

animal plankton

Ocean Basin Floor

area of the deep ocean floor between the continental margin and the oceanic ridge

What could gas hydrates be used for?

as an energy force

Most oceanic gas hydrates form when...?

bacteria breaks down organic matter in the seafloor sediments

Siliceous Ooze

biogeneous sediment composed of silica based shells of single called animals and algae

The two forces that produce tides are gravity and...?

centripetal force

Density current

current of the ocean water that results from density differences among water masses

Tide

daily change in elevation of the ocean surface

What causes density currents to form in the Mediterranean Sea?

evaporation

What are 2 major energy sources obtained from the ocean floor?

oil and natural gas

Pelagic zone

open ocean of any depth

The five huge circular moving systems of the surface currents are called...?

gyres

Spring tide

highest tidal range that occurs due to the alignment of Earth, the moon, and the sun

Density

how heavy something is

Which is NOT a zone in the three layered structure of the ocean according to density?

isothermal line

Ocean current

mass of ocean water that flows from one place to another

Surface current

movement of water that flows horizontally in the upper part of the ocean's surface

Manganese Nodules

rounded lump of hydrogenous sediment scattered on the ocean floor, consisting mainly of manganese and iron and also containing small amounts of other minerals

Economically, valuable materials such as diamonds, tin, and platinum are associated with which ocean floor resource?

sand and gravel

Which offshore resources are second only to petroleum in economic value?

sand and gravel

Which is created through the process of erosion...?

sea arch

Hydrogenous Sediment

seafloor sediment consisting of minerals that crystallize from seawater; an important example is manganese nodules

Terrigenous Sediment

seafloor sediment derived from eroded rocks on land

What is a structure built parallel to the shore that shields the coast from breaking waves?

seawall

The gently sloping submerged surface that extends from the shoreline toward the ocean basin floor is continental...?

shelf

The most abundant salt in seawater is...?

sodium chloride

What techniques do scientists use to discover more about the bathymetry of ocean basins?

sonar, satellites, and submersibles

Phytoplankton

the algae that undergo photosynthesis

Coriolis effect

the apparent deflective force of Earth's rotation on all free moving objects, including the atmosphere and oceans; deflection is to the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere

Intertidal zone

the area where the land and ocean meet and overlap; the zone between high and low tides

Important mineral deposits, including large reservoirs of oil and natural gas are associated with...?

the continental shelf

Tidal range

the difference in height between successive high and low tides

Fetch

the distance that the wind has traveled across open water

Continental Shelf

the gently sloping submerged portion of the continental margin, extending from the shoreline to the continental slope

Continental Rise

the gently sloping surface at the base of the continental slope

Wavelength

the horizontal distance separating successive crests or troughs

Gyre

the large circular current pattern found in each ocean

Neap tide

the lowest tidal range, occurring near the times of the first quarter and the third quarter phases of the moon

Oceanic zone

the marine life zone beyond the continental shelf

Neritic zone

the marine life zone that extends from the low tide line out to the shelf break

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

Primary productivity

the production of organic compounds from inorganic substances through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis

Upwelling

the rising of cold water from deeper layers to replace warmer surface water that has been moved away

Oceanography

the scientific study of the oceans and ocean phenomena

What do scientists use satellites to measure?

the sea-surface height

Continental Slope

the steep gradient that leads to the deep ocean floor and marks the seaward edge of the continental shelf

Wave period

the time interval between the passage of successive crests at a stationary point

Photic zone

the upper part of the ocean into which sunlight penetrates

Photosynthesis

the use of light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into energy-rich glucose molecules

Wave height

the vertical distance between the trough and the crest

Which term refers to the layer of water in which there is a rapid change of temperature with depth in the ocean?

thermocline

What economic significance do continental shelves have?

they contain important mineral deposits

Calcareous Sediment

thick, common biogenous sediment produced by dissolving calcium carbonate shells

Daily changes in elevation of the ocean surface are called...?

tides

Because of the Coriolos effect, surface currents in the Southern Hemisphere are deflected...?

to the left

Which describes a ridge of sand that connects an island to the mainland or another island...?

tombolo

Abyssal zone

very level are of the deep ocean floor; usually lying at the foot of the continental rise

Abyssal Plains

very level area of the deep ocean floor, usually lying at the foot of the continental rise

An ocean current moving form the equator toward the pole is...?

warm

Longshore currents form because...?

waves hit the coast at an angle and form currents in the surf zone