Ocean Floor Features
What factor is directly related to the expansion of the ocean?
The movement of the tectonic plates is directly related to the expansion of the ocean.
The movement of the Cycle of Tidal is directly related to what?
The movement of the cycle is directly related to the motion of the moon
What is heat capacity
How well a fluid retains heat.
Define Amplitude
The height of a wave resting from its resting position to its highest point.
Define the Euphotic Zone
The uppermost layer of the ocean extending about 200m where there's enough sunlight for photosynthesis.
Tides are a result of?
Tides happen because of the gravitational force exerted by the moon and sun
Define a Current
Broad, continuous movement of water to an ocean or other body of water.
Define Swells
Swells are waves that have been traveling throughout the ocean, from the area they were formed.
What is a Shelf Break?
The outer perimeter of the Continental Shelf and is where the shallow Continental Shelf slowly transitions into the steeper continental slope.
Why is the Tidal Range useful? List 2 reasons
Tidal range is used to determine the rise and fall of the tides
Tidal range is the measurement of the highest tide to the lowest tide
Define a Thermocline and list 2 factors.
A thin layer in a large body of water where temperatures change fast with depth.
Acts like a boundary between warm and cold water.
Change in temperature is very drastic.
Temperature depends on depth.
How do waves work?
Ocean waves are caused by wind blowing on the surface of the ocean, creating friction which allows tiny ripples to form.
Explain how an Ocean Ridge is made?
When hot liquid rock rushes out of these ridges, it cools down, and turns into a solid rock that pushes the tectonic plates further apart
Explain Newtons Law of Universal Gravitation
“every particle in the universe attracts every other particle with a force directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers”
List the 3 factors that influence Wind and Surface currents.
Uneven heating of the atmosphere (convection)
Rotation of the Earth (circulation)
The continents (deflecting)
List the 3 stages of a breaking wave
water moves towards shore
bottom part of the wave slows down due to friction
top part curls over and eventually breaks
Why are Abyssal Plains so flat?
Abyssal Plains are very flat due their the amount of sediments that layer on top of each other, this fine grain sediment acts as a natural leveling compound giving the Abyssal Plains their flat surface.
What is the difference between a Neap tide and a Spring tide list 3
Spring tides happen when the Earth is aligned with a full moon or new moon, while occur Neap tides during half moons.
Spring tides have the largest tidal movement while Neap tides have the smallest.
During spring tides, the gravitational pull of the sun is added onto the gravitational of the Moon, in Neap tides the gravitational pull of the sun works against the gravitational pull of the moon.
Why do some places have milder climates than others list the 2 main factors and what they do
Gulf stream
Brings in lots of warm water, originates from around the equator, and makes climate more temperate (moderate or mild temp not too cold or hot)
North Atlantic Drift/ Labrador Current
Brings in cold water to and from Northern Hemisphere, makes climate much colder.
How do Long Shore Currents happen?
Longshore currents happen when a wave approaches the shore at an angle, instead of going straight on. Once the wave breaks, the wave pushes water and sand sideways along the shoreline.