intro to oceanography

Question 1

why study the oceans?

Answer 1

provides food, medicine, energy and photosythesis

Question 2

where does energy from the heat of the earths core go?

Answer 2

it rises, cools and goes back down (repeats)

Question 3

how long have continents been moving

Answer 3

4 billion years

Question 4

how long until the continents combine again?

Answer 4

300m years

Question 5

what is the outcome of moving plates

Answer 5

Tsunamis, Earthquakes, and volcanoes

Question 6

when plates meet

Answer 6

plate boundary

Question 7

tsunami

Answer 7

a series of waves caused by quakes and travel throughout the world

Question 8

what happen to aestroids that come close to earth?

Answer 8

our planet is constantly getting rid of aestroids from space that enter our atmosphere. They burn up and explode or leave our atmosphere.

Question 9

what do ocean currents depend on

Answer 9

weather

Question 10

what weather can hurricanes survive in

Answer 10

warm. they cannot survive in cold weather

Question 11

what is unique about plate boundaries

Answer 11

they contain life forms that nobody has ever seen before

Question 12

radar altimetry

Answer 12

a satilite that measures ocean depths, sea levels, sea temps ect.

Question 13

Scientific theory

Answer 13

Structure of ideas that explain wide range of observations, from the natural world (everywhere around us)

Question 14

what is scientific theory supported by

Answer 14

supported by abundant evidence (that can always be revised) /facts

Question 15

can scientific theories change?

Answer 15

they are rigourisly tested and verified and

Question 16

parsimonious

Answer 16

simplest explanation for something is most commonly the correct one. (explains something in a simple way)

Question 17

geology theory

Answer 17

plate tectonics

Question 18

biology theory

Answer 18

evolution by natural selection

Question 19

physics theory

Answer 19

thermal dynamics, gravity, energy, relativity, laws. (time in space is not absolute, it is relative.)

Question 20

astonomy theory

Answer 20

Big Bang theory

Question 21

Basis of science

Answer 21

is evidence, (clues), scientists are detectives of the natural world

Question 22

the scientific method

Answer 22

-comparison leads to conclusion
-finding answers can come from refining questions
-science is always growing and can be proven wrong in some circumstances

Question 23

theory

Answer 23

highest level of knowledge in science

Question 24

fact

Answer 24

phenomenon confirmed by observation

Question 25

hypothesis

Answer 25

idea proposed to explain one or more facts (must be testable)

Question 26

coastal erosion

Answer 26

is always happening, sand and mud from the cliffs fall and turn into sand. 3-10 decades entire cliffs will erode

Question 27

fields in oceanography

Answer 27

-geology -chemistry -physics -astronomy -geography -biology -chemistry -engineering

Question 28

ways to view a landscape or object

Answer 28

-cross section: looking through something -map: birds eye view -block diagram: 3D view

Question 29

how old is the sea floor

Answer 29

200m years old, younger than the continents (it is always renewing itself)

Question 30

most abundant elements in the ocean

Answer 30

H, O (oxygen), Cl , Na(sodium)

Question 31

deepest ocean

Answer 31

pacific, b/c of trenches 36,000ft

Question 32

shallowest ocean

Answer 32

arctic (17,000ft)

Question 33

easterlie winds

Answer 33

winds coming from the east

Question 34

westerlie winds

Answer 34

winds coming from the west

Question 35

coriolis affect

Answer 35

The earth is spinning, therefore whenever the winds are going foward, they end up going more to the right.

Question 36

high pressure winds

Answer 36

clear skies, the pressure is higher up.

Question 37

low pressure winds

Answer 37

lots of storms, and precipitation