Download Oceanography WebQuest Oceans Alive! Looking at the Sea

Oceanography WebQuest
Oceans Alive! Looking at the Sea [http://www.mos.org/oceans/planet/index.html]
Main Page
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The four major oceans are ___________________, ___________________,
___________________, and ___________________.
________% of the Earth’s surface is ocean.
Physical Features of the Ocean
Label the picture below with the major features of the ocean floor. WARNING: It is not the same picture!
This one shows both sides of the ocean, from continent to continent. (Also, seamounts do not
necessarily have to stick up above sea level.)
A) Mid-Ocean Ridge
B) Seamount
C) Island
D) Deep Ocean Trench
E) Continental Shelf
F) Abyssal Plain
G) Continental Slope
How do we map the ocean floor today? ______________________________
How did the oceans form?
Which ocean right now is slowly shrinking? ____________________
Where is a new ocean opening up right now, which (at current speed) in 200million years will be as wide
as the Atlantic is today? _________________________
Where does the water come from?
How does the ocean loose water? ______________________________________________________
How does water return to the ocean (2 ways):_____________________________________________,
___________________________________________
Next (Water on the Move: Current Events)
What causes the ocean currents? ______________________________________________________
Is the Gulf Stream, the current flowing north along the east coast of North America, a cold current or a
warm current?_______________
How fast does the Gulf Stream flow? _______________
On the west coast of South America, cold water is normally brought up to the surface. This is called
upwelling. What does this upwelling do for the local environment? __________________________
During an El Niño event, trade winds diminish and warm water flows down western South America. This
stops the upwelling. What does this do to the local environment? ____________________________
Next (Water on the Move: Wind & Waves)
Label the wave picture with the following terms: crest,
wavelength, trough.
What causes ocean waves? ________________________
What controls how large a wave is? _____________________
Given that, where would you expect to find larger waves: the Pacific Ocean or the Atlantic? Why?
When a wave hits a buoy or ship, how does it make the item move: with the wave, up & down, left &
right.
Next (Water on the Move: Ebbs & Flows of the Sea)
What causes the tides?
Label the pictures as being a spring or neap tide.
Which of these tides is stronger? Why?
Which of these tides is weaker? Why?
Next (The Living Sea: Life Near the Surface)
How deep does sunlight capable of supporting photosynthesis go into the ocean? ______________
What are the most abundant plants in the ocean? ______________________
Where do nutrients to support these plants come from? ___________________
Marine animals are divided into three groups: _________________ (those that _________),
______________ (those that __________) and ______________ (those that live on or in the
_____________________).
[Click Next three more times.] The Scientist at Sea
We have explored less than _______% of the Earth’s sea floor with our own eyes.
What three problems prevent us learning more about the floor: _____________, ______________, and
________________ (which can be more than 16,000 lbs per sq inch).
Submersible Vehicles
What kind of submersible is ALVIN?
What is the major problem with this kind of submersible?
What kind of submersible is JASON?
What is the major benefit with this kind of submersible?
[Hit the back button, then click Next at the bottom of the page]
Exploring the Oceans (Remote Sensing)
Oceanographers are using remote sensing via ________________ to learn about the ocean on a global
scale.
Remotely sensed images are more like ___________ than photographs.
Satellites are useful in tracking sea surface __________________ and _______________, but they
cannot penetrate below the ocean’s surface.
Sea Level Viewer
Go to http://climate.nasa.gov/SeaLevelViewer/seaLevelViewer.cfm. At the top of the browser, tell it to
Always allow popups from this site, if necessary. At the bottom left, select CC On, to put on the closedcaptioning.
Click & listen to the following pieces:
Latest View (July 2010). Are we in an El Nino or La Nina year? ___________. Hit back.
Large El Nino (1997). How frequent is El Nino? _____________. Hit back.
Hurricane Katrina (2005). Higher sea level means ____________ water. What does this
temperature do to a hurricanes’ speed? _________________. Hit back.
Indian Ocean Tsunami (2004). What did the satellites like Jason and Topex/Poseidon missions do
for the first time here?
__________________________________________________________. Hit back.
La Nina (1999). What does a La Nina do to hurricanes? ________________. Hit Back.
Ocean Water – Office of Naval Research
[http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/ocean/water/salinity1.htm]
Salinity
What is the chemical composition of the salt in seawater?
Where does the sale come from?
What is the average salinity of the ocean?
If there were more runoff of freshwater into the ocean, what would happen to the salinity?
______________
Brackish water (where _______________ meets __________________) have salinities of ______ppt to
_______ppt. Hit the back button.
APPLICATION (not on website):
Since seawater has salt in it, is it more or less dense than freshwater?
Would a boat float higher or lower in seawater than in freshwater?
Pressure
What is air pressure at sea level (above the ocean)?
What happens to the pressure as you go under the water?
How many atmospheres can humans safely go underwater?
MATH: How many feet under the water would that be? ______________
What do humans use to go into high-pressure environments?
Hit the back button.
Temperature [Hit the next page button at the bottom twice.]
Ocean temperatures range from _____________ at the poles to ____________ in the shallow ocean
waters of the tropics.
The freezing point of seawater is _______F (_____C). Freshwater freezing point is _______F (_____C).
Why does the temperature change so much at the ocean surface?
Click on Research Vessels to the far left, then chose the submersible ALVIN.
ALVIN’s two most memorable missions were:
____________________________________________
____________________________________________