Earth's Oceans I
The Pacific Ocean contains about what percent of Earth's water?
About 50%
Give an example of a unit for density.
g/mL, g/cm3, kg/L, kg/m3
What is the relationship between wind speed and the size of an ocean wave?
The higher the wind speed, the larger the wave.
This is a powerful warm surface current in the Atlantic Ocean that affects the climate of the land in its path.
What is the Gulf Stream?
the movement of matter that results from density differences
What is a convection current?
1. What percent of Earth is covered by ocean water?
2. What is the approximate maximum depth of the ocean?
1. less than 75% (actually 71%!)
2. Around 11 km.
What is the relationship between temperature and density?
The colder the temperature, the higher the density / the warmer the temperature, the lower the density.
Ocean waves are this type of wave that carries energy through matter.
What is a mechanical wave?
What are the two (2) energy transfers that take place before a surface current is created?
The sun's heat energy is transferred to the atmosphere causing differences in air pressure that causes wind which transfers energy to the ocean causing surface currents.
Cause of deep ocean currents
What are density differences?
What is the relationship between salinity and density?
The higher the salinity, the higher the density / the lower the salinity, the lower the density.
The Gulf Stream is 30 km wide. How many meters is this?
What is 30,000 meters?
caused when a large volume of ocean water is displaced by earthquakes or underwater landslides.
What is a tsunami?
What 3 factors affect surface currents?
What are global surface winds, Coriolis Effect, and continental deflection?
(Go to p. 87). In what direction are the global surface winds blowing to in the southern hemisphere, between South America and Africa, right below the equator line?
a. downward left
b. upward left
c. downward right
d. upward right
b. upward left
Two common ions combine to make which most common salt found in ocean water.
What is sodium chloride (or NaCl)?
What are the 3 layers of a column of ocean water and what are their distinct temperature characteristics?
Surface - warmest layer
Thermocline -- big drop in temperature
Deep - coldest layer
What type of current occurs when surface water on the ocean becomes denser than the water below it and sinks?
What is a deep ocean current?
In general, what is the relationship between global winds and ocean surface currents?
The surface currents follow a similar pattern of global winds in the same area.
Why is cold water more dense then warm water?
Cold water is more dense because the water molecules slow down, the space between them contracts causing more mass per volume, therefore increasing the density.
What are the two main sources of the ocean's dissolved salts?
1. weathering of Earth on and below the surface from running water.
2. volcanic activity below the ocean
What two factors determine ocean water temperature?
latitude and depth
The large volume of water that recedes back into the ocean from a tsunami.
What is an undertow?
the apparent deflection of moving objects from a straight path due to Earth's rotation
What is the Coriolis effect?
(turn to p. 85) Look at the direction in which the surface currents circulate in the northern hemisphere. Do they flow clockwise or counterclockwise?
They flow clockwise.