General Oceanography
What is oceanography?
The study of the oceans and their properties
What are the biggest sources of pollution in the ocean? Name all 4
Sound, chemical (toxic), plastic, oil
What is the feature where two plates meet?
Trench
What is ocean salinity?
The amount of salts dissolved in the water
Climate change can have many impacts on the planet. What is the most significant in relation to climate change, the ice caps, and the oceans?
Changes to the ocean currents
How much of the planet is covered in ocean?
70-71%
What is the name of large regions of ocean with high concentrations of plastic waste?
Great garbage patches
What is the feature that extends off of a continent before the slope?
Continental shelf
How does salt get added into the ocean? (two processes)
Erosion and volcanic activity
What is the name of the current that brings warm water to Europe?
Gulf Stream
How much of the ocean have we actually explored?
10%
How does sound pollution impact sea life? Identify at least one example.
Disrupts communication, increased stress, trouble navigating, damage to sensitive body parts, changes in food locations
What is another name for the ocean floor?
Abyssal plain
What factors influence salinity in the ocean? Name at least 2
Evaporation, precipitation, runoff from glaciers and watersheds
Warming ocean surface temperatures mean what for seasonal storms?
There are more of them and they are stronger
What is the deepest part of the ocean called and where is it found?
Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench (off the coast of Japan)
What are sources of toxic waste pollution?
Human activities, factory run-off, waste dumping, city run-off
Explain the difference between a sea mount and a guyot.
Seamounts are underwater volcanoes that are still being built up. A guyot is an old seamount that has eroded away to form a flat surface on the top of the structure.
Why is the equator less saline than 30 degrees N and S of the equator?
Because at the equator there is a lot more rain. This dilutes the ocean water. As you move away from the equator, the air is drier. It means more evaporation and less precipitation. That makes the ocean saltier.
How does climate change impact coral reefs?
It causes extra stress and results in the coral dying off.
SONAR, satellites, SCUBA diving, sensors, surface measurements
Eutrophication is what happens when extra nutrients are added to an aquatic ecosystem. How does this happen and what impacts does it have on those ecosystems?
What is the process by which ocean ridges form?
Seafloor spreading
Why is the Mediterranean Sea so salty?
It is surrounded by land. There is a lot of evaporation, little precipitation, and very little fresh water inflow.
The thermohaline belt is a combination of all surface and deep sea currents in the oceans. It helps circulate water across the globe. Why is climate change a concern in regards to the thermohaline belt?
Melting water from glaciers might disrupt the currents because it will cause a bunch of fresh water to enter the system. This will change how the currents move and could cause them to shut down entirely.