Oceanography

Unit 4

Geosphere
Geo =
sphere =

Hydrosphere
Hydro =
sphere =

Interaction of Earths Systems

Unequal Heating
Why is there unequal heating of the earth?

Global Atmospheric Circulation

A fancy name for?
Winds - Important part of oceanography

What do these things all have in

common?

Ocean
large body of saltwater that covers most of the
Earth.
Divided into different zones based on location
and depth.

Characteristics of Ocean Water

Salty (salinity)
Temperature

Ocean notes
______ % of earth is covered by water
How is ocean useful?

1.
3.
5.

2.
4.
6.

Name the 5 major oceans

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Ocean vs. Sea

An ocean is
Large body of saltwater that is bounded by continents or
equator.

A sea is
a body of salt water surrounded by land on all or most
sides, or that is part of one of the ocean.

Oceans
Largest ocean______________
Smallest ocean ____________
Deepest ocean_____________
Covered by ice _____________
Water cycle pgs. 407-408
Draw the water cycle using these words
Evaporation, condensation, transpiration,
precipitation, infiltration and runoff

Movement of Ocean Water

The Gulf Stream current carries warm tropical water from the
Caribbean Sea all the way to the North Atlantic Ocean. The
climate in the British Isles, where the current ends, is controlled by
the currents warm water, which makes the isles much warmer
than other countries nearby. Today learn how currents like the
Gulf Stream are formed and how ocean water moves and those
those movements affect our lives.

Currents
Two Types
Surface
Deep Currents

Surface Currents Demo

1. Fill your container with warm water.
2. Place the rock in the container and let the water settle.
3. Get your green ice cube and put it on a piece of paper towel.
4. Place in one drop of red/pink food coloring.
5. Put in the ice cube. Observe.
6. Use the straw to add winds (global).
7. Observe.
What changes when you add the wind? Describe what you see? What is
happening?
How was this demo different from when we did it the first time with just the
water and ice cube?
Why type of heat transfer system did you create?
What type of ocean current did you create?

How important are surface

currents?

How important are surface

currents?

Rest of the Story

Rest of the Story

Currents page 689-693

Surface currents (definition and where they occur)
3 factors that affect it (and what that means)
1
2
3
Deep currents (definition and where they occur)
2 factors that affect it (and what that means)
1.
2.

Surface Currents
Surface currents occur near the surface (top)
3 factors that control it

Global Wind (specific direction)

Continental deflection (change direction
when meet a continent

Coriolis effect

Coriolis Effect
Coriolis effect- the curving of winds due to the rotation
of the earth

N hemisphere-right
S hemisphere-left

Ocean currents

Convection Current

Heat Reservoir
or Thermal Reservoir
Temperature stays the same in an area when
heat is added or extracted.
Oceans
Large Lakes

Regional Climates
Ocean currents act like a conveyer belt
transporting warm water and precipitation from
the equator toward the poles and cold water
from the poles back to the equator.
Helps counteract the uneven distribution of the
solar energy.

Maritime Climates
middle latitudes of warm summers and cool
winters - narrow annual temperature range (not
many extremes)

Maritime Environment

El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

cycle of changing wind and water current
patterns in Pacific Ocean.
El Nino - warm water phase - increase in
typhoons, cyclones and floods.

El Nino
In WORLD
Heavy rains in S America
Drought in S. Africa,
SE Asia, India

Deep Currents
Deep currents occur further down below surface
2 factors that affect it

1.Temperature
2. Salinity
All factors that affect density

Characteristics of Ocean Water

Salty (salinity)
Temperature

Notes on salinity pgs. 663-664

What is salinity?
Most common salt in ocean is
What are parts per thousand?
Name 2 factors that affect salinity

Salinity
measure of amount of dissolved salts and
solids in liquids.
most common solids: Chlorine (55%) and
Sodium (30.6%)

3 Temperature Zones
Surface ZoneWarmest because of sunlight
Top layer to 300 m below sea level
Thermocline
Big change in temperature
300 m-700 m
Deep
Coldest (2 C)
Deepest-extends to bottom of ocean floor

Thermal Energy
Energy of moving or vibrating molecules
Temperature

Water Density
Density - mass/volume
1 kg/m3 or 1.0 g/ml at 4 C

Seawater Density
average: 1.025 g/ml
denser because of dissolved solids

Parts of a Wave`
Crest The highest point on a wave
Trough The lowest point on a wave
Wavelength
Distance between 2 crests or 2 troughs
Wave height Distance between a crest and a trough
Wave period How long it takes to

Frequency/Time Period
Number of complete waves per second.
2 waves per second is 2 cycles/second- Frequency is 2
28 waves in 4 seconds. What is the frequency?

To get period you divide 1/f (frequency)

1/7= .1428

f = V / f = frequency V= velocity (speed) = wavelength

Parts of a Wave

Please know the following types of

waves
Swells
Whitecap
Breakers
Undertow
Rip current
Longshore current
tsunami

Parts continued
Swells- 697
Gentle waves in the middle of the ocean
White caps
Large, foamy waves in the middle of the ocean
Breakers Large waves that crash on shore
Undertow Breaking waves is pulled back into deeper water
Rip current Water cuts through sandbar, away from shore

Swells
Gentle waves in the middle of the ocean

Whitecaps
Large, foamy waves in the middle of the ocean

Ocean Breakers
Large waves that crash on shore

Rip Currents
Water cuts through sandbar, away from shore

Rip Currents

Longshore Current
Move parallel to shore. Carry sediments, trash, etc.

Tsunami

Carbon Dioxide Reservoir

Oceanic Layering

Ocean Features
Shoreline
Continental shelf
Continental slope
Continental rise
Continental margin
Abyssal plain
Mid-ocean ridge
Rift valley
Trench
Seamount
Guyot

Ocean feature definitions

Shoreline- Divides land from ocean
Cont. shelf- Shallow flat are by shoreline
Cont. slope-Where shelf dips down toward ocean floor
Cont. rise- Where cont. slope meets ocean floor
Cont. margin- cont. shelf, slope and rise together
Submarine canyon- V-shape valley cut into the cont. margin
Abyssal plain- Large, flat areas on the ocean floor
Mid-ocean ridge-Underwater mt. range on ocean floor
Rift valley-Areas between mid ocean ridge
Trench-Deep crevices on the ocean floor Mariana trench 11,000 m is
the deepest.

Seamount- individual mts. underwater

Guyot-Flat topped seamounts

Ocean Features-Reefs
Fringing reef

Barrier reef

Atoll

Ocean Features-Reefs
Fringing reef

Barrier reef

Atoll

Ocean Features-Reefs
Fringing reef- A reef that is attached
to the base of the island

Barrier reef- A reef that is separated

from the island by a lagoon
(shallow body of water)

Atoll- A barrier reef where the island

has sunk below the water

Mariana Trench

Life in Ocean pgs. 669-672

Plankton- found near the surface
Zooplankton, Phytoplankton
Microscopic organisms
Nekton
Organisms that swim
Ex: fish
Benthos
Found on the ocean floor
Ex: Starfish, crabs

Tides Information
Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on
the earth

High tides are 2 times in 24 hours-water comes up higher

than normal on shore

Low tides are 2 times in 24 hours- water is lower than

normal on shore

Spring tides-High tides are much higher than normal & low
tides are much lower than normal

During full & new moon

Neap tides-High tides not as high & Low tides not as low
1st and Last quarter phase

Tides
Causes of tides The gravitational pull of the
moon on the earth

High tides- how often, what are they? The side facing
moon side directly opposite of it. Every 6 hours.

Low tides-how often, what are they? The side

perpendicular to the moon and the side directly opposite of
it. Every 6 hours

Tides
Spring tides- What are they? Phases of moon?
High tides that are higher than normal. Low tides are lower
than normal New and Full moon

Neap tides- What are they? Phases of moon? High tides

that are not very high and low tides are not very low Every
6 hours

 Tidal currents-

The rise in water because of tides & horizontal movement of

water.

they can create a rapid current that affect ocean life near
bays/harbor.

Storm surge- Storm surge is an abnormal rise of water

generated by a storm.

UNSCRAMBLE ME

LITINSAY
Clue: saltiness

ESLTRFGMAU
Clue: This is why Iceland isnt

TFFICLOEREOCIS
Clue: Worldwide current turner

PNWGILELU

Brings nutrients to the surface

THROUG

Clue: As low as you can go on a wave

TNMAISU

Clue: Shake, rattle and roll

NISDW

Clue: a cause of surface currents

Cross off words

http://www.csgnetwork.com/wateru
sagecalc.html

Review 1

Bingo

Essays on the test

1. Contrast the 3 kinds of reefs.
2. Compare and contrast plankton, nekton and
benthos. Give one example of each.

3.Compare and contrast swells, breakers, white

caps, longshore currents, rip currents and
undertows.