Water Cycle
What are the main processes that make up the water cycle?
What are evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and transpiration?
What is a wave?
A wave is a disturbance that transfers energy through water.
What are mid-ocean ridges?
Mid-ocean ridges are underwater mountain ranges formed by tectonic plates moving apart.
What is salinity?
Salinity is the measure of dissolved salts in water, typically in parts per thousand (ppt).
What are ocean currents?
Ocean currents are large-scale flows of seawater driven by wind, temperature differences, and the Earth's rotation.
Describe what happens to water vapor in the clouds as part of the water cycle.
Water vapor cools and condenses to form clouds and eventually falls as precipitation.
What are the requirements for large waves?
What are strong winds, a long fetch (distance over water), and deep water?
What is an abyssal plain?
An abyssal plain is a flat, deep ocean floor located at depths of 3,000 to 6,000 meters.
What factors can cause ocean water to have lower salinity?
What are heavy rainfall, melting ice, and river inflow?
What is the Gulf Stream?
The Gulf Stream is a warm ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows up the U.S. East Coast.
What is the difference between evaporation and transpiration?
Evaporation is the process of liquid water turning into vapor, while transpiration is the release of water vapor from plants into the air.
Describe what happens to a wave as it approaches the shore.
The wavelength shortens and the wave height increases.
What is the difference between seamounts and guyots?
Seamounts are underwater mountains, while guyots are flat-topped seamounts that have eroded.
What is the average salinity of seawater?
The average salinity is about 35 ppt, which means 35 units of salt in every 1,000 units of seawater.
Describe how the global conveyor belt works.
The global conveyor belt is a system of ocean currents that circulates warm water from the equator to the poles and cold water back to the equator, helping to regulate climate.
What happens to water vapor to create precipitation?
Water vapor condenses into droplets, which combine to form clouds, and when they become heavy enough, they fall as precipitation.
What is a high tide?
A high tide occurs when the water level is at its highest point along the shore due to the gravitational pull of the moon and sun.
What are coral reefs and what do they require to grow?
Coral reefs are underwater structures made of coral polyps that require clear, warm, shallow waters to thrive.
What are some ways that ocean water can have higher salinity?
What are evaporation, ice formation, and limited water inflow?
What happens to ocean temperature as you go deeper?
Ocean temperature generally decreases as you go deeper due to less sunlight penetrating the water.
What is the smallest unit of water and what is its chemical formula?
What is a water molecule, and its chemical formula is H2O?
Explain the difference between neap tides and spring tides.
Neap tides occur when the sun and moon are at right angles, resulting in lower high tides, while spring tides occur when the sun and moon align, causing higher high tides.
What are some characteristics of barrier reefs?
Barrier reefs are located further from shore and have a lagoon between the reef and the land.
What are the three most important gases dissolved in seawater?
What are oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen?
How does salinity affect the density of ocean water?
Salt water is denser than fresh water because it contains more dissolved salts, which affects buoyancy and currents.