Earth's Oceans Flashcards
What are the sources of Earth’s oceans?
Asteroids, comments, and meteors
How did water in the ocean become salty?
Water that has passed over rocks and has picked up salt making minerals flows into the ocean and makes it salty.
Differentiate between the three parts of the continental margin: shelf, slope, and rise
Shelf- Shallow part of the continent
Slope-Steep slope that extends from the shelf to the deep ocean
Rise- The base of the slope where fallen sediments accumulate
What is the abyssal plane?
A flat area between the mid-ocean ridge and he continental margin
What is the difference between the mid-ocean ridge and ocean trenches?
Mid-ocean ridge: Place on the seafloor where tectonic plates pull apart and volcanic mountains form
Ocean Trenches: Anywhere where continental and oceanic plates collide.
How does temperature, salinity and density change with increasing depth in the ocean?
As depth increases, temperature and salinity increases and density decreases.
What is different about the three zones and how they relate to sunlight?
Surface zone- Area of the shallow seawater that gets the greatest amounts of sunlight. (Photosynthesis performing organisms live hear)
Middle zone- (Twilight zone) Receives only blue green light
Deep zones- (Midnight zones) No plants grow because there is no sunlight.
What are the parts of a wave?
Crest, trough, wave height and wave length
What type of wave is an ocean wave?
Surface wave
What happens to an ocean wave as it reaches the shoreline?
It decreases in size and shape
What causes tides?
The gravitational force between the Earth and the moon and the Earth and the sun
What is tidal range?
The difference in water level between high tide and low tide
Differentiate between Spring tides and Neap tides
Spring- Tide with the greatest tidal range and occurs during a full moon, new moon, solar eclipse, and lunar eclipse
Neap-A tide with the lowest tidal range and occurs when the Earth, moon and sun form a straight line.
What is a gyre?
Circular system of currents
What is the Coriolis Effect?
The movement of wind and water to the right or the left that is caused by Earth’s rotation.
