Dynamics
The ocean spec (property) which decreases from the surface to the ocean floor.
What is temperature (and light)?
The longest mountain range in the world.
What is the mid-ocean ridge?
This is the horizontal distance between two wave crests or two wave troughs.
What is wavelength?
A fast-moving rush of water that “escapes” back to sea through a narrow opening in a sandbar.
What is a rip current?
This is the cause of surface currents.
What is wind?
The ocean specs (two properties) that increase from the surface to the ocean floor.
What are salinity and pressure?
The technology originally used to measure the depth of the ocean and map the sea floor.
What is SONAR?
This describes the path of water molecules (particle motion) as wave energy travels through the water.
What are orbitals?
These are two natural formations, which protect the shore from erosion.
What are sand dunes and barrier beaches?
What is the Coriolis effect?
The dynamic, shallow platform of sand located where waves begin to break.
What is a sandbar?
This shallow area of seafloor extends outward from the edge of a continent.
What is the continental shelf?
Reversed Jeopardy!
How is the formation of regular water waves different than the formation of tsunamis?
Normal waves are caused by wind; tsunamis are caused by underwater earthquakes.
This natural occurrence causes both erosion and deposition of sand along shorelines.
What is longshore drift?
Reversed Jeopardy!
How do warm currents affect the climate of nearby lands?
The atmosphere absorbs warmth and moisture from the current, which creates milder winters and warmer summers, increasing humidity and precipitation.
Reversed Jeopardy!
How does ice formation at the arctic latitudes help to create deep ocean currents?
Salt falls out of solution as the ice forms increasing the salinity and, therefore, the density of the cold, arctic water. The dense water sinks which pushes the deep ocean currents along very, very slowly.
This island is mid-ocean ridge breaching the surface of the ocean.
What is Iceland in the Atlantic Ocean?
Reversed Jeopardy!
Why does a wave break?
The bottom of the wave is slowed down by friction against the ocean floor. The wave breaks when the height has increased and the top of the wave is moving faster than the bottom. Momentum carries the top of the wave forward, toppling the wave.
Reversed Jeopardy!
Why do waves become more parallel to the beach as they approach the shore?
The part of the wave arriving at the shore first is slowed down allowing later parts of the wave to “catch-up”. When the wave changes speed it bends or refracts toward shore.
This is the reason that Iceland and Scandinavia are not covered in ice and snow year-round.
What is the Gulf Stream (and the North Atlantic Drift)?
Reversed Jeopardy!
Explain how 1. salty, room temperature water, 2. cold freshwater, 3. room temperature freshwater, and 4. hot freshwater will layer in a container. Why does this happen?
Layered top to bottom: Hot fresh, room temp. fresh, cold fresh, salt water due to density differences
This natural phenomenon happens to the ocean floor at the Mariana Trench (and all trenches).
What is subduction? (sinking of the seafloor into the trench to be recycled)
Reversed Jeopardy!
Why are tsunamis so tall once they reach the shore?
Water waves become compressed as they approach the shore, because the shallow bottom slows down the waves. The energy cannot be destroyed, so the wave height increases as the wavelength decreases. Tsunamis have huge wavelengths, which become huge wave heights.
Reversed Jeopardy!
What are the pros and cons of using groins to control beach erosion?
The groin traps sand on the updrift side (pro), but more sand is eroded on the downdrift side (con). Also, beaches downdrift do not received deposited sand (con).
It may take 1000 years for this very cold, very dense, highly saline water to travel from the arctic regions to the equator and back again.
What is the Global Ocean Conveyor?