Overview of Oceans
What is the study of the oceans called?
Oceanography
About how much of Earth is covered in ocean water?
71%
Highest and lowest points on a wave
crest and trough
the continents deflect ocean currents to the north and the south so that closed circular current systems,
gyres
the transitional ocean layer that lies between the relatively warm, sunlit surface layer and the colder, dark, dense bottom layer.
thermocline
Technologies used to study the ocean (list at least 3)
Sonar, floats, satellites, submersibles, computers
Where freshwater meets ocean water, where the density and salinity is lower than the ocean
estuary
collapsing waves are called
breakers
How many gyres are there?
5
is the area in which sediment is deposited along the shore
beach
What does SONAR stand for?
Sound navigation and ranging
What is the average pH of the Earth's ocean?
8.1
the periodic rise and fall of sea level
The upward motion of ocean water is called
upwelling
the process in which waves advancing toward shore slow when they encounter shallower water, causing the initially straight wave crests to bend toward the headlands
wave refraction
What is the ocean's average salinity?
35 ppt
List the oceans in order from largest to smallest
Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, Artic
sun and moon gravitational forces
the movement of ocean water that occurs in depths too great to be affected by surface winds and is generated by differences in water temperature and salinity
density currents
As water from incoming breakers spills over the longshore bar, a current flowing parallel to the shore
longshore current
How do scientists hypothesize oceans formed?
volcanic action and/or impact from meteorites and comets
Define the term salinity
the measure of dissolved salts in ocean water
wind-driven movements of ocean water that primarily affect the upper few hundred meters of the ocean
surface currents
a rhythmic movement that carries energy through space or matter—in this case, ocean water.
What is the purpose of groins, jetties, and seawalls?
To prevent beach erosion