Ocean Floor Features
The shallow, gently sloping area of the ocean closest to land.
Continental shelf
The measure of the amount of dissolved salts in water.
Salinity
The uneven heating of Earth’s surface causes this.
Wind
The main force that causes glaciers to move downhill.
Gravity
Scratches left on rock by glaciers.
Striations
The deepest parts of the ocean, often formed at subduction zones.
Trenches
Cold water can hold more dissolved gases than warm water because…
Molecules move slower, allowing gases to stay dissolved
Surface currents are mainly driven by this force.
Wind
The intermediate stage between snow and glacial ice.
Firn
Unsorted sediment left behind by glaciers.
Till
Vast, flat regions found in the deep ocean basin.
Abyssal Plain
These dense, sediment-filled currents move down continental slopes.
Turbidity Currents
Deep ocean currents are driven by differences in this property.
Density
As snow turns into ice, what happens to the air spaces?
Decrease
Why are glaciers called “global thermometers”?
Their size and movement reflect climate changes
Underwater mountains that do not reach the ocean surface.
Seamounts
Circular ocean currents caused by wind and Earth’s rotation.
Gyres
The main cause of tides on Earth.
Gravitational Pull of the Moon
This type of glacier movement occurs when meltwater allows the glacier to slide.
Basal Sliding
Ice cores help scientists study this about Earth’s past.
Past climate and atmospheric conditions
A deep valley cut into the continental shelf and slope.
Submarine Canyon
The main cause of Coriolis Effect on Earth.
Earths Rotation
Why are coastal areas more polluted than deep ocean areas?
They are closer to human activity and runoff sources
This type of movement occurs when ice deforms internally under pressure.
When glaciers melt and expose darker surfaces, causing more warming, this is called:
Positive Feedback Loop