ACING EAPS 100, FINAL EXAM WITH ESSENTIAL A+
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Oceanography
study of sea, 1872
Ocean percentage
70.8%, 1.3 billion cubic kilometers; .12% Earth's volume
Sea Level
elevation of boundary between ocean water and air above
Epicontinental Sea
large submerged area of continents
Continental Shelves
shallow part of ocean adjacent to continents exposed
Factors of sea level change
glaciation and interglacials; passing waves/ tides
Water from?
melting rocks released hydroxide which bonded to hydrogen and created water molecules that
bubbled out of volcanoes as vapor. When planet cooled, water vapor released water into basins
(4,000 yrs in water before going thru process, hrs - days in air)
Salt from?
general chemical weathering of rocks and the anions come from volcanic gases. rivers deliver
over 2.5 billion tons of salt to the sea every year
Halocline
boundary between surface-water salinities and deep-water salinities
Thermocline
boundary between warmer water above and colder water below
pycnocline
ocean layer or other water where water density increases rapidly with depth
Surface Current
, affect only upper 330 to 1,300 feet of water
Deep-sea Current
affect water at greater depths and some water along seafloor
Gyres
circular pattern of currents in ocean basin (6200 miles)
Eddies
smaller circular patterns (100-1000km)
Influences on currents
1. Frictional Drag
2. Coriolis Force
3. Pressure-gradient force
Coriolis Force
items in north moving north forced east (right), moving south to west (left); items in south
moving north west (left), item moving south move east (right); deflection of moving object
relative to surface of spinning object beneath
Thermohaline Circulation
rising and sinking of water driven by density contrasts
Wave Formation
gravity acts as restoring force while pulling surface to sink below equilibrium level, then wave
rebounds like weight hanging from string (most 6-30 ft; rogue 60+ ft)
Size of wave depends on?
strength of wind, fetch (distance blown), length of time wind blows
Littoral Zone
intertidal zone and adjacent areas of land that become submerged or drenched in spray during
unsually high tides or storms (specialized organisms evolved here)
Neritic Zone
shallow areas near shore; most of continental shelf; light undergoes scattering
Oceanic Zone
open ocean; absorbs all light
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Oceanography
study of sea, 1872
Ocean percentage
70.8%, 1.3 billion cubic kilometers; .12% Earth's volume
Sea Level
elevation of boundary between ocean water and air above
Epicontinental Sea
large submerged area of continents
Continental Shelves
shallow part of ocean adjacent to continents exposed
Factors of sea level change
glaciation and interglacials; passing waves/ tides
Water from?
melting rocks released hydroxide which bonded to hydrogen and created water molecules that
bubbled out of volcanoes as vapor. When planet cooled, water vapor released water into basins
(4,000 yrs in water before going thru process, hrs - days in air)
Salt from?
general chemical weathering of rocks and the anions come from volcanic gases. rivers deliver
over 2.5 billion tons of salt to the sea every year
Halocline
boundary between surface-water salinities and deep-water salinities
Thermocline
boundary between warmer water above and colder water below
pycnocline
ocean layer or other water where water density increases rapidly with depth
Surface Current
, affect only upper 330 to 1,300 feet of water
Deep-sea Current
affect water at greater depths and some water along seafloor
Gyres
circular pattern of currents in ocean basin (6200 miles)
Eddies
smaller circular patterns (100-1000km)
Influences on currents
1. Frictional Drag
2. Coriolis Force
3. Pressure-gradient force
Coriolis Force
items in north moving north forced east (right), moving south to west (left); items in south
moving north west (left), item moving south move east (right); deflection of moving object
relative to surface of spinning object beneath
Thermohaline Circulation
rising and sinking of water driven by density contrasts
Wave Formation
gravity acts as restoring force while pulling surface to sink below equilibrium level, then wave
rebounds like weight hanging from string (most 6-30 ft; rogue 60+ ft)
Size of wave depends on?
strength of wind, fetch (distance blown), length of time wind blows
Littoral Zone
intertidal zone and adjacent areas of land that become submerged or drenched in spray during
unsually high tides or storms (specialized organisms evolved here)
Neritic Zone
shallow areas near shore; most of continental shelf; light undergoes scattering
Oceanic Zone
open ocean; absorbs all light
