Earth Space Science Oceans DBA

great ocean conveyor belt:

1. In the polar regions, temperatures can be well below freezing. Icebergs, also known as sea ice, form. Made of freshwater, icebergs leave salt behind and raise the salinity of the remaining ocean water. 2. The already frigid water around the north pole gets saltier and denser, causing it to sink. Surface waters move to replace the sinking water, thereby causing a current to form. 3. Cold water flows south through the Atlantic Ocean to the Southern Ocean; the cold water continues to flow eastward toward the Pacific Ocean. 4. The cold water moves northward in the Pacific Ocean and is heated. As upwelling occurs, these waters rise to the surface toward the equator and gain heat energy. The heat energy is then transferred to the atmosphere, thereby affecting weather. 5. The water moves westward, along the equatorial region, until it reaches the narrower Atlantic Ocean. 6. In the Atlantic Ocean, the water cools as it moves northward to the polar regions and the process begins again.

Water covers about

71% of the world

abyssal plain

A large, flat, and deep portion of the ocean surrounding either side of a mid ocean ridge.

guyot:

A large, flat-topped underwater volcano.

volcanic island arc

A line of volcanic islands caused by subduction and the melting of either oceanic or continental crust.

mid-ocean ridge

A location where sea floor spreading occurs. The release of magma at these active volcanic sites forms new rocks and rows of mountains.

Plunging breakers:

A plunging breaker looks like a hollowed curve of a wave. These occur on moderately sloped beaches. Sometimes, the waves curl over, forming a tunnel.

continental slope

A sharp drop in depth where the ocean basin truly begins and the continental crust ends.

Spilling breakers

A spilling breaker breaks far from shore so that the surf rolls over the front of the wave. These occur on gently sloped coastal regions.

storm surge

A storm surge occurs when water is pushed inland by the winds of a tropical storm or hurricane.

Wave:

A wave is a transfer of energy from one point to the next. One complete wave includes the crest and trough.

how do scientists see the ocean floor without seeing most of the ocean

Although they cannot see it directly, scientists have mapped most of the ocean floor. Satellite imagery, sound waves, and radar give scientists a good picture of how the ocean floor looks. Submersible vehicles, both manned and unmanned, provide scientists with more detail about the ocean floor than they can obtain using remote sensing methods.

Amplitude:

Amplitude is the height of a wave from the point of equilibrium to the crest or trough of the wave.

ocean trench

An extremely deep portion of the ocean, similar to a canyon, formed during subduction. The deepest ocean trench is the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. It reaches a depth of about 11 kilometers.

seamount:

An underwater mountain. If the mountain breaks the water surface, it is known as an island.

surface water

As deep as 300 meters, ocean water maintains a relatively constant temperature because of mixing and the input of solar energy.

sediments are formed by

As waves crash onto a shoreline, small bits of rock are slowly worn away ex: Beach sand is a type of sediment created as a function of the local geography and the characteristics of the shore.

depositional shoreline

Barrier Island: Barrier islands are created as sand is deposited into a region near a shoreline, causing an island to form. Beach: A beach is any location where sand and sediments are deposited by the action of waves. Sandbar: A sandbar is an elongated area of sand, separated from the mainland, created by the action of waves.

sea surface temperature (SST) maps.

Because water is a good insulator, it takes a long time for a body of water as large as the ocean to heat up. At the same time, water loses heat slowly. Because of this, weather patterns near the ocean are different than weather patterns far from the ocean. Scientists measure ocean temperatures, often via satellite

Characteristics of the Ocean

Characteristics of the Ocean

thermohaline circulation.

Cold water sinks. Warm water rises. As it rises and sinks in the ocean, water circulates from bottom to top and back down again. The movement of water depends on its density, which in turn depends on temperature and salinity. Warm water is less dense than cold water. Saline water is denser than freshwater. Differences in temperature and the amount of dissolved solids within the water drive its circulation from shallow to deep and back again.

What happens during an El Nino event

During an El Niño event, winds will carry the previously piled-up warm waters eastward toward South America. The piling up of these waters in a new location warms the atmosphere above, causing changes in large-scale weather patterns and even influencing the global climate.

mean sea level.

Each color represents the difference between the observed wave height and the ocean' If all winds and tides stopped, and the ocean were calm, mean sea level would be the height of ocean water. In reality, the ocean surface contains topographic lumps and bumps, akin to mountains and valleys on land.

Wave Height

Each passing wave, as you saw in the video, is a transfer of energy from one location to another. Each successive water molecule has wave energy transferred to it. Each passing wave is moved forward, but the ocean water does not move any large distance. If the height of the waves increased, the surfer would rise to a greater height and fall to a lower depth on the waves, and the radius of the circle in which the surfer moves would increase. If the wave period were shorter, the waves would be closer together, and the surfer would rise and fall on the waves more quickly.

lithospheric plates (tectonic plates)

Earth's crust formed, and water filled the basins, giant segments of the crust began to move. The plates float on Earth's molten interior like rafts of rock. The plates move around, driven by convection currents from the Earth's mantle.The plates move over and under and past each other. Where the plates meet, Earth's crust is constantly formed and re-formed. Over time, the ocean's floor is continually recycled as crust is broken down at some plate boundaries and new crust is forming at others.

Equilibrium

Equilibrium is the point in the middle of a successive trough and crest.

our main factors that cause a wave to be "born":

Fetch: Fetch is the distance on the ocean surface over which the wind blows. Speed: The speed of the wind will determine the size of the types of waves formed. Duration: If the wind blows over an area consistently, the waves are more likely to grow larger. Ocean surface conditions: The original conditions present on the ocean surface also contribute to the types of waves formed. Scientists can predict the types of waves that will form over the ocean based on wind conditions. Variations in wave energy and movement lead to a variety of wave types,

Frequency

Frequency is the time for successive crests or troughs to pass (or vibrate through) a given location. Frequency is a measure of the wave's vibration.

El Niño.

In the Pacific Ocean, near the equator, wind directions can shift every few years. Normally, the trade winds blow from east to west near the equator. The warm surface waters in the region are shifted to the west, where they begin to pile up near Indonesia. This causes cold water near South America's coast to rise from the deep ocean. In a cycle every two to seven years, wind directions change, causing a weather phenomenon

Ocean Currents

In the shipping industry, goods are transported across the ocean from one port to another. Knowledge of currents allows ship captains to chart the best courses to new locations and to dock properly once they arrive.

five main ideas of the Coriolis effect:

Main Idea 1: Winds always blow from areas of high to low pressure. Main Idea 2: Earth's curvature and axial orientation result in the equator receiving the most direct sunlight. Therefore, air temperatures at the equator are higher than air temperatures at the poles. Main Idea 3: The warm air at the equator is less dense than the cold air at the poles. The air at the equator rises because of decreased density (air pressure), while the air at the poles is denser and sinks. If Earth did not rotate, winds would circulate from the equator to the poles and back again with little change in direction. Main Idea 4: Earth rotates counterclockwise. As air moves from the equator northward on a rotating Earth, it is deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere. If you were to stand with your back to the wind as it moves from an area of higher to lower pressure, winds would appear to move to the right. Main Idea 5: Although local winds can blow in any direction, the prevailing winds in regions separated by 30 degrees of latitude are given specific names: 1. Trade winds: the winds that blow east to west between 30 degrees south latitude and 30 degrees north latitude 2. Westerlies: the winds that blow west to east between 30 degrees latitude and 60 degrees latitude in both hemispheres 3.Polar easterlies: the winds that blow east to west between 60 degrees latitude and 90 degrees latitude in both hemispheres

deep water

Most of Earth's ocean water is in the deep-water zone, which begins at approximately 1,000 meters; therefore, most water in the ocean is close to freezing.

Ocean Circulation

Ocean Circulation

how does the ocean affect inland?

Ocean temperatures affect weather patterns in coastal regions and inland. Because the ocean moderates atmospheric temperatures, temperatures vary less near the coast compared to far inland.

Ocean temperatures influences what..?

Ocean water absorbs solar energy during the day. At night, when the sun sets, heat is transferred between the ocean and the atmosphere. As air moves from cool areas into warm areas, wind direction changes near the shore. Use the activity below to investigate the differences in wind direction at night and during the day. During the day, land surfaces absorb and reflect heat faster than the ocean. Cooler air from the ocean moves inland to replace the warm air rising from the land. At night, the ocean loses heat to the atmosphere, causing winds from the land to blow toward the ocean. The atmosphere influences the ocean. The ocean influences the atmosphere. Each is a part of a global climate system.

subduction zones

Oceanic crust is broken down in regions

surf.

Once a wave approaches a shore, the top of the wave continues to move forward while the portion closest to the ocean bottom slows due to friction. The top portion of the wave lifts over the bottom portion. If it lifts high enough, the top portion rolls over and crashes back down, and the wave "breaks." As waves break, they create a foamy layer of bubbling water,

Phytoplankton

Phytoplankton are microscopic plants at the bottom of the ocean food chain. This means all the other creatures in the sea depend on phytoplankton. Phytoplankton are eaten by small animals, which are in turn eaten by larger animals, all the way up to sharks and whales. Phytoplankton are distributed by ocean currents and waves—the large-scale movement of ocean waters by tides, wind, and currents. Currents cause movement of ocean water by a process called ocean circulation. The constant cycling of ocean water distributes nutrients and energy from the poles to the equator, and back again.

buoys

Scientists use this to measure ocean conditions in specific locations over time. There are a variety of different buoys deployed in the ocean; some are attached to the ocean floor, while others drift freely in open waters. All ocean buoys, regardless of type, report some physical characteristic of the ocean or the atmosphere for later analysis

erosional shoreline

Sea Cliff: A wall of rock, carved by the action of waves on a shoreline. Sea Stack: An exposed island of rock that is a remnant of a former rocky beach area, now completely surrounded by water. Sea Cave: A cave that is carved out of rock by the action of waves. Sea Arch: A hollowed archway of rock extending into the ocean.

Garbage Patch

So much trash ends up in the ocean Garbage patches can grow to enormous sizes, posing a threat to fish and other wildlife.

What affects density?

Temperature and salinity affect the density of water. In turn, variation in density causes vertical movement of water. These currents, which pull water to the ocean bottom by gravity, drive the deeper circulation of water.

Landmasses and oceans

The Atlantic Ocean separates North and South America from Europe and Africa. The Atlantic Ocean gets wider every year. The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean. It separates North and South America from Asia. The Arctic Ocean is located at the northern pole. The Southern Ocean is also known as the Antarctic Ocean. This ocean basin surrounds Antarctica at the southern pole of Earth. The Indian Ocean separates Africa and Australia in the Southern Hemisphere.

salinity

The amount of salt in water 3.5 percent of all ocean water is made of salt.

Crest:

The crest of a wave is the highest point in the wave.

abyss

The deepest portions of the ocean basin (abyss comes from the Greek word for "bottomless"), excluding ocean trenches.

continental shelf

The edge of a continent where the water is relatively shallow.

What causes the exchange of heat between ocean and atmosphere?

The exchange of heat between the ocean and the atmosphere causes changes in weather patterns. For instance, in the Northern Hemisphere, September is typically the most active month for hurricanes. Ocean waters are usually warmest in September, at the end of summer. The warmer ocean temperatures lead to an increased number of hurricanes at this time of year. The water remains warm for a portion of the winter months and cold for a portion of the summer months.

continent

The landmass surface where the water from the ocean meets at the shoreline.

gyre

The message in a bottle could get caught in a surface current loop Objects floating in the ocean can get trapped and accumulate in a loop of surface currents caused by the wind. So much trash ends up in the ocean that in some places a "garbage patch" forms. Garbage patches can grow to enormous sizes, posing a threat to fish and other wildlife.

Ocean and water cycle relations

The ocean plays a central role in the water cycle . All life on Earth depends on the ocean in some way. All water eventually flows into the ocean, where it evaporates and is recycled by rain back onto land. the ocean remains largely unexplored—in fact, humans have explored less than 5 percent of the ocean, and most of the water beneath the surface has never been seen with human eyes. With modern technology, scientists have determined that the size, shape, and distribution of oceanic basins are a result of the way they form.

mid-ocean ridge

The region in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean basin, which is higher than the surrounding ocean floor

the strength and duration of the wind

The strength and duration of the wind over a section of water controls wave size and frequency. The longer a wind blows in the same direction over an area, the stronger and larger the waves will become. Particularly strong winds, such as those that occur during a tropical storm, also cause waves to grow larger.

Trough

The trough of a wave is the lowest point in the wave.

tsunami wave

These waves, which are sometimes incorrectly called "killer waves" or "tidal waves," are long, wavelength waves that result from movements in Earth's crust. An earthquake, underwater volcano, or landslide can cause large amounts of water to shift suddenly. If you were on a boat in the open ocean, you would hardly notice a tsunami wave passing through even at speeds of more than 800 kilometers per hour (500 mph). Tsunami waves are most dangerous once they reach the shore. There, the waves surge inland, devastating property and taking lives.

Where is the ocean warmer or colder

Toward the poles, the ocean is colder. Closer to the equator, the ocean is warmer.

Wavelength

Wavelength is the distance from one crest to another crest or from one trough to another trough. Wavelength is symbolized as the lowercase Greek letter lambda.

Waves

Waves

break

Waves are said to break when the speed of the wave changes as it reaches shallower coastal regions. Wave energy is slowed by friction with the seabed as the ocean becomes shallower.

Splitations

We can think of Earth as having just one huge water body. This water body is divided by landmasses such as continents and islands. The areas between landmasses form ocean basins and seas.

Surging breakers

When the slope of the coastal region is very steep, waves move onto the shore without breaking. The wave appears as a surge of water moving inland.

upwelling

Without water circulation, organisms would quickly use up all of the nutrients at the ocean's surface. But the nutrient supply is replenished when nutrients that sink deeper into the ocean come back to the surface. The process by which nutrients and energy resurface cold, nutrient-rich water rises from the deep ocean to the surface. Upwelling is caused when winds drive the surface waters away from an area

surface wave

a disturbance of the water that repeats in a periodic pattern.

Surface waves are...

a form of energy transferred to ocean water by the wind. As the wind blows over water, its kinetic energy is transferred to the water. Friction between the wind and surface of the water causes the water to move.

debris convergence zone

a garbage patch is created when items become trapped by the circulation of ocean water. The circulation patterns of currents determine the location of the debris convergence zone

thermocline

a layer of rapid temperature change. As the input of solar energy decreases with depth, the temperatures quickly drop to near freezing. The depth of the thermocline layer depends on the climate of an area.

Meteorite

a rocky or metallic object that falls to Earth from space

Asteroid

a small, rocky body that orbits the sun

harder rocks..

are worn away more slowly than softer rock

Sediments:

bits of matter deposited by water or wind

crust

bottom of the ocean, deep beneath its surface, is made of a thin layer of rocks. Volcanic activity formed these rocks,

Formation of the Oceans

bottom of the ocean, deep beneath its surface, is made of a thin layer of rocks. Volcanic activity formed these rocks, which comprise Earth's crust after Earth's formation, volcanoes were abundant and dotted its surface. At this time, no liquid water was present. However, volcanoes released vast quantities of gases, forming the atmosphere. Over time, volcanic activity slowed. As temperatures cooled, liquid water collected in low-lying parts of Earth's surface. These formed the ocean basins we know today. Earth's crust formed, and water filled the basins, giant segments of the crust began to move. These segments are known as lithospheric plates or tectonic plates. The plates float on Earth's molten interior like rafts of rock. The plates move around, driven by convection currents from the Earth's mantle.The plates move over and under and past each other. Where the plates meet, Earth's crust is constantly formed and re-formed. Over time, the ocean's floor is continually recycled as crust is broken down at some plate boundaries and new crust is forming at others. The region in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean basin, which is higher than the surrounding ocean floor, is known as a mid-ocean ridge New oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges, where the ocean floor is spreading apart. The oceanic plates are pushed away from each other by the formation of new crust in the center of the ridge. Oceanic crust is broken down in regions called subduction zones. The plates in a subduction zone move toward each other so that one of the plates descends beneath the other. When this type of movement occurs, deep trenches form near the subduction zones. we can conclude that ocean formation is a continual process. Driven by geological processes, the oceans shrink and grow over long periods of time.

rip currents,

can be dangerous to swimmers and divers. A rip current is a type of coastal current in which water flows in a localized channel away from the shore, as shown in the animation below.

Erosion

causes beach sands to wash away, affecting both human activities and plant and animal life along shorelines. More than 485 miles, about 59 percent, of Florida's beaches are experiencing erosion. Although some of the erosion is natural, human activities increase the rate of beach erosion.

the ocean is a...

giant conveyor: belt system that transports water from one location to another. Without this transport system, nutrients would not move throughout the ocean. Thermohaline currents transport heat energy and nutrients from one location to another.

High energy vs Low energy

high-energy beaches with heavy wave action tend to have larger stones and rocks. Low-energy beaches with mostly gentle waves usually have smaller grains of sand and sediment.

A surface current

is a wind-driven current. Surface currents can occur in coastal regions as well as in the open ocean. A wind's strength and the length of time that it blows determine the strength and direction of a surface current. Because winds are deflected by the Coriolis effect, surface currents follow the same pattern.

Density

mass per unit area, or the mass of a piece of matter divided by its volume Water with dissolved salts has a higher density than freshwater without dissolved salts.

Currents also carry....

nutrients to new locations, leading to increased biodiversity and nutrient availability. However, the effects of currents aren't always positive—currents can spread toxic or hazardous materials, such as oil or chemical discharge from factories, to new locations as well.

La Niña

occurs when the ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific region are unusually cold.

Waves can be..

pass through liquids, solids, gases, and even the vacuum of outer space. ex: On the ocean, the up-and-down pitching of a boat is caused by the up-and-down movement of waves.

Topographical

regions on Earth's surface that vary from sea level in height

Coriolis effect

the apparent change in wind direction due to the spin of Earth

wave energy is transferred from...

the atmosphere to the hydrosphere as a result of the action of winds. This energy can later alter the geosphere by causing erosion and deposition.

Water Cycle:

the continuous movement of water on Earth

Deposition

the process by which objects, such as sand on a beach, settle to the ground. wave action also causes sediments to be deposited in shoreline regions

Biodiversity:

the variety of plants, animals, and other organisms living in an environment

what else does upwelling do

upwelling water can change weather patterns in an area. Energy is transferred between the ocean and the atmosphere in the form of heat. Ocean water absorbs solar energy, which warms the surface.

In the open ocean...

waves appear as the rolling waves that cause ships to bob up and down in the water. As a wave approaches the coast, the shape and slope of the shoreline region determines the type of wave that forms. Several different types of waves form, depending on the features of the slope in a coastal region.

The Coriolis effect controls what..

wind direction, which in turn influences ocean currents at the surface.

process of upwelling

winds blow across the water's surface in one direction, surface water moves away from and perpendicular to the wind. At the same time, deep water moves toward and perpendicular to the wind, creating a circular flow.