Ocean Facts
Which ocean is the biggest?
Pacific
Surface currents are driven by....
global winds
Most ocean waves are caused by what force transferring energy to the water's surface?
wind
Salinity is the amount of this substance dissolved in ocean water.
Salt
SONAR uses what to map the ocean floor?
The Coriolis Effect causes...
The currents to go in a curved path.
Deep ocean currents are driven by....
changes in density
What is the crest of a wave?
the highest point of a wave
This process increases salinity by removing water but leaving salt behind.
freezing or evaporation
This deep, steep drop-off marks the edge of the continental shelf.
continental slope
What two factors affect the density of ocean water?
When currents are deflected and change direction due to the presence of a continent.
continental deflection
In ocean waves, energy moves forward while the water itself mostly moves in what motion?
circular
Higher salinity causes seawater to become more ______.
dense
This underwater mountain chain is formed where tectonic plates move apart.
mid-ocean ridge
The Coriolis Effect causes _________ motion in the northern hemisphere.
clockwise
The Gulf Stream is a warm current. What does that mean for the area around?
It will be warmed by the Gulf Stream
Unlike wind waves, these waves are caused by underwater earthquakes or landslides.
tsunamis
This natural process lowers ocean salinity near river mouths and coastal areas.
freshwater run-off
This landform is created when two tectonic plates collide and one sinks under the other.
trench
The deepest ocean is...
the pacific
Cold, dense water sinking near the poles helps power this global system of currents
global conveyer belt
As a wave approaches shallow water, its speed decreases but its height increases because of this.
Friction with the ocean floor
What can you infer about the Arctic Ocean and the Southern Ocean based on the fact that they have ice caps?
They have lower salinity than other oceans.
A flat, deep part of the ocean floor covered in sediment is called this.
abyssal plain