Oceanography Flashcards
Percentage of water that covers Earth’s Surface
71%
Some Notable Ocean Features
- Mid Atlantic Ridge (giant underwater mountain range)
- Mariana’s Trench (ocean’s Deepest Location)
- Pacific Ocean Basin (Earth’s largest feature)
- Mt. Everest (earths tallest location)
Oceans
- Arctic Ocean
- Atlantic Ocean
- Pacific Ocean
- Indian Ocean
- Southern Ocean
What is the Average depth of the ocean?
3.7 km
What are the Importance of the Ocean?
- Moderates Earth’s temperature
- Influences the weather
- Largest volume of Earth’s biosphere
- Conduit for exploration
- Food and mineral resources
- Transportation of people and goods
- Recreation, aesthetics… etc
What is Oceanography/ Marine Sciences?
The scientific study of all aspects of the marine environment
What is marine geology?
The study of Earth’s crust and composition.
What is physical oceanography?
The study of waves and currents, & ocean/atmosphere interactions.
What is marine biology?
The study of the nature and distribution of marine organisms.
What is chemical oceanography?
The study of the gases and solids dissolved in the ocean.
What is climatology?
The study of the Ocean’s role in Earth’s climate.
What is marine engineering?
The design and construction of structures used in or on the ocean.
What is marine archaeology?
The study of human history in the oceans.
Nature of science?
- Ask a question
- Form a working hypothesis
- Observe or experiment (collect data)
- Analyze Data and draw conclusions
- Form theories and laws
Theory
A statement that explains observations; summarizes them
