Exam 1 Flashcards
Oceanography
Study of physical and biological properties and phenomena of ocean
Parts of Continental Margins
Continental shelf
Shelf-slope
Slope
Types of Continental Margins
Active
Passive
Passive margin
Shelf: long and gentle
Slope: gentle
Rise: slope tapers
Active margin
Shelf: short and steep
Slope: steep
Trench: no rise
SONAR
Sound Navigation And Ranging
Radar Altrimetry
Measure height variation on sea floor
Ocean divisions
Pelagic: water column
Bentnic: sea floor
Neritic: low water to shelf break
Oceanic zone: rest of ocean
Oceanic pelagic zone
Depth by amount of light
Elipelagic Zone
Enough light for photosynthesis
Mesopelagic zone
Light but photosynthesis not possible
Bathypelagic zone
No light
Abyssalpelagic zone
No light
Extends to sea floor
Hadopelagic zone
Water in deep ocean trenches
Benthic zone
Littoral: high & low tide
Sublittoral: shelf
Bathyal: slope
Abyssal: ocean basin
Hadal: deep ocean trenches
Compositional layers of Earth
Crust
Mantle
Inner core
Outer core
Crust layers of Earth
Lithosphere
Asthenosphere
Continental drift
All continents were one mega continent that slowly drifted apart
Evidence of Continental drift
Matching fossils
Continuous mountain belts
Matching continental belts
Paloclimate
Ocean ridges
Magma rises =new oceanic crust
Sea floor moves away from ridge forming gap
Oceanic Trenches
Old oceanic crust subducts
Melting of old rock form magma
Earth’s magnetic field
Produced by:
Fluid iron-rich outer core
Plate tectonics
Interaction of plates along boundaries
Making new lithosphere,volcanoes and continental movements
Divergent boundary
Plates move in opposite directions
Associated with ocean ridges
Convergent boundary
Plates move towards each other
Denser plate always subducts
Oceanic/oceanic
Older oceanic crust subjects
Volcanic arc forms on overriding plate
Oceanic/continental
Oceanic crust always subduct
Continental/continental
No subduction
Formation of mountains
Transform Boundary
Plates sliding along each other in opposite directions
No creation or destruction of lithosphere
Faults
Zones of weakness where earthquakes occur
Focus
Location where movement begins on fault
Epicenter
Surface location of focus
Normal fault
Block above inclined fault moves down
Divergent boundary
Reverse fault
Block above an inclined fault moves up
Convergent boundary
Slip-strike
Block on either side of fault moves horizontally
Seismic waves
Vibrations caused by earthquakes
Surface wares
Travel along earth’s surface
Slow
Cause damage
Rayleigh waves
Verticale movement
Love wave
Side to side movement
Body waves
Travel through Earth’s interior
Fast
Primary waves
Arrive first
Compress materials parallel to travel direction
Secondary waves
Arrive between p-waves and surface waves
Vibrates material perpendicular to travel direction
Can’t pass through liquid
Intertidal zone
Area between high and low tide
Shoreline change
Global change in ocean volume
Uplift and subsidence
Continental shelf importance
High biological productivity
High sunlight
High patients
Continental slope
Seaward edge of shelf
Real boundary between land and sea
Crest
High point of wave
Trough
Low point of wave
Wave height
Vertical distance between crest and trough
Wave steepness
Ratio of wave height to wavelength
Open Ocean wave motion
Wind controls size, speed, direction
Circular motion
Wave formation
- Wind blowing = energy
- Small capillary waves form
- Capillary waves = rough surface
- Formation of choppy waters
- Wave forms
Fetch
Uninterrupted distance that wind blows without direction change
Fully developed sea
Waves reach max height for given conditions
Swell
Set of waves within uniform conditions
Breaker
Wave collapse due to over steepness
Refraction
Wave bends parallel to shore
Reflection
Wave reflected by barrier
Tide
Periodic rising and falling of ocean’s height at specific location
Spring tide
Sun and moon exert pull in same direction
Full and New moons
Largest tidal bulge and range
Neap tide
Sun and moon exert pull in opposite directions
First and third quarter moons
Smallest tidal bulge and range
Diurnal tide
One high and one low tide per day
Semidiurnal tide
Two high and two low tides of similar heights per day
Mixed tide
Two high and two low tides of different heights per day
