Tides
What causes tides?
the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun(a little bit)
6 sediment sizes (large to small)
Boulder, Cobble, Gravel, Sand, Silt, and Clay
What is SONAR?
Technology that uses sound waves to detect objects, measure distances by sending out sound pulses and listening for the returning echoes.
equation: SXT/2
Upwelling Versus Downwelling
Upwelling brings cold, nutrient-rich water from the deep ocean to the surface, while downwelling pushes warmer surface water downward.
Are Tropical seas productive?
Tropical seas are not very productive. Has a strong thermocline that prevents up or downwelling, creating "ocean deserts" with low phytoplankton.
Spring tide
a tide just after a new or full moon, when there is the greatest difference between high and low water.
Silt and clay are found where on a beach, and why?
Protected areas with waves that have a low carrying power
Parts of the continetal shelf?
Continental Shelf, Continental Slope, Continental Rise, Abyssal Plain
Stratification, what is it and how does it happen?
Ocean stratification is the natural separation of an ocean's water into horizontal layers by density.
Why are coral reefs productive?
Because of a symbiosis with algae and the coral. Algae lives on the coral, performing photosynthesis to produce energy-rich compounds that fuel the coral's growth. Corals provide the algae with a protected environment and essential nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus.
Ebb tide
The period when the tide is going out, the tidal current flows away from the shore, moving from high tide towards low tide.
Porosity versus Permeability
Porosity is the volume of empty space in a material, measuring its fluid storage capacity. Permeability is the ability of a material to transmit fluids, indicating how well those pores are connected.
Active Versus Passive margin
Active margins are tectonically active zones at plate boundaries. Passive margins are areas with no tecontic activity from plate boundaries.
Surface currents, driven by wind and affecting the upper ocean.
Deep ocean currents, driven by differences in water density
Why are Sea Grass beds productive?
They providing food, shelter, and are nursery grounds. The grass is a true plant that takes nurients from the soil and release it into the water.
direct high tide versus indirect high tide
Direct high tide is the bulge of water on the side of the Earth facing the Moon due to its strong gravitational pull. Indirect high tide occurs on the opposite side because the Moon pulls the Earth away from the water there, leaving a second bulge.
What is a berm?
A raised ridge of sand on a beach acting as a shelf because of erosion.
What is a contour map, and what are the parts of it?
A contour map shows 3D terrain on a 2D surface using lines connecting points of equal elevation, revealing slope and landform.
Contour Lines (the lines themselves), Contour Interval (elevation difference between lines), and Index Contours (bold, labeled lines for easier reading).
What is the coriolis effect, and what angle does it deflect to?
The apparent deflection of moving objects from a straight path due to Earth's rotation.
Northern Hemisphere: Deflects moving objects to the 45* right.
Southern Hemisphere: Deflects moving objects 45* to the left.
Are Desert seas productive?
They are low in productivity but nutrients can arrive, often by dust from the shore or localized upwelling.
tide range calculation
HW Height - LW Height
What is chemical sediment?
Materials that settles out of water as it evaporates or cools.
What are deep ocean treches, and how do they form?
Deep ocean trenches are long, narrow, extremely deep canyons on the seafloor, formed when one dense tectonic plate slides under a less dense one in a process called subduction.
Great Ocean convayer. What is it and why is it important?
A constantly moving system of deep-ocean circulation driven by temperature and salinity. The great ocean conveyor moves water around the globe. Causes mixing throughout the globe.
Why is the Gulf of Maine so productive?
The Gulf is productive because of ocean currents (cold Labrador Current & warm Gulf Stream), the seafloor has deep basins and shallow banks that cause mixing, powerful tides, and river inputs, creating a nutrient-rich environment that fuels massive phytoplankton blooms.