intro to oceanography Flashcards
why study the oceans?
provides food, medicine, energy and photosythesis
where does energy from the heat of the earths core go?
it rises, cools and goes back down (repeats)
how long have continents been moving
4 billion years
how long until the continents combine again?
300m years
what is the outcome of moving plates
Tsunamis, Earthquakes, and volcanoes
when plates meet
plate boundary
tsunami
a series of waves caused by quakes and travel throughout the world
what happen to aestroids that come close to earth?
our planet is constantly getting rid of aestroids from space that enter our atmosphere. They burn up and explode or leave our atmosphere.
what do ocean currents depend on
weather
what weather can hurricanes survive in
warm. they cannot survive in cold weather
what is unique about plate boundaries
they contain life forms that nobody has ever seen before
radar altimetry
a satilite that measures ocean depths, sea levels, sea temps ect.
Scientific theory
Structure of ideas that explain wide range of observations, from the natural world (everywhere around us)
what is scientific theory supported by
supported by abundant evidence (that can always be revised) /facts
can scientific theories change?
they are rigourisly tested and verified and
parsimonious
simplest explanation for something is most commonly the correct one. (explains something in a simple way)
geology theory
plate tectonics
biology theory
evolution by natural selection
physics theory
thermal dynamics, gravity, energy, relativity, laws. (time in space is not absolute, it is relative.)
astonomy theory
Big Bang theory
Basis of science
is evidence, (clues), scientists are detectives of the natural world
the scientific method
-comparison leads to conclusion
-finding answers can come from refining questions
-science is always growing and can be proven wrong in some circumstances
theory
highest level of knowledge in science
fact
phenomenon confirmed by observation