Download Test Topics for Unit 2 Oceans:

Test Topics for Unit 2 Oceans:
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Lesson 1: Earth’s Oceans and Ocean Floor
o Essential Question: What lies within and beneath Earth’s oceans?
o Key Topics
 Be able to describe properties and physical features of Earth’s oceans.
 Earth’s Oceans
o Earth’s Called water planet
o ~70% of Earth covered by water
 97% of water is salt water
 Pacific contains 50% of Ocean water
 Atlantic Ocean 2nd largest
 Indian Ocean 3rd largest
 Southern Ocean (only recognized by some scientific organizations)
 Arctic Ocean smallest (covered in ice most of the year)
 Salinity and Temperature
o Why does salinity and temperature in the ocean vary?
o Key factor between ocean water and fresh water is salinity
 Ocean water salinity is 3.5% or 35 g of salt per kilogram of ocean water.
 Salinity can vary slightly from place to place because of (know how):
 Water cycle
 Climate variations
o Surface Temperature is affected by latitude (why?)
o Know the three temperature layers and their temperature ranges.
 Density
o How does temperature and salinity affect the density of ocean water?
o Pure water has a density of 1.0g/cm3
o Ocean water has a density between 1.020g/cm3 – 1.029g/cm3.
o Ocean water becomes denser when its temperature does what?
o How can density differences create some ocean currents?
 Studying the Ocean Floor and Its Features
o What tools are used to study the ocean floor, features of the ocean floor, and
their formation?
o Used to study ocean floor (know purpose of each):
 Sonar
 Satellites
 Underwater vessels
 Deep-sea drilling and dredging
o Ocean floor two main parts
 Continental margin (Three main parts are)
 .
 .
 .
 Deep-ocean basin
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Abyssal plains
o Flattest places on Earth
 Areas formed by tectonic plates
Features that rise from the ocean floor (what are they and how do they
form):
 Mid-ocean ridges
 Volcanoes
 Seamounts
o
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Vocabulary
 Salinity
 Thermocline
 Continental margin
 Deep-ocean basin
 Mid-ocean ridge
 Ocean trench
Lesson 2: Ocean Waves
o Essential Question: How does an ocean wave form and move?
o Key Topics:
 Be able to describe the characteristics of ocean waves and what happens as they move through
the ocean.
 Properties of Ocean Waves
 Ocean waves are energy traveling along the boundary between ocean
water and the atmosphere
 Ocean waves have the same basic shape and parts of any other
mechanical wave
 Crest
 Trough
 Wave length
 Amplitude
 Direction of the wave
 Be able to describe wave periods and calculate wave speed.
 Wave period
o The number of waves produced in a given amount of
time.
o Measured by number of waves that pass a given point
in a certain amount of time.
 Wave speed (v) = wavelength () x wave period ( )

Ocean Wave Formation
o Most ocean waves derive their energy and motion from the wind
o Three factors that depend on three factors:
 The wind speed
 The length of time the wind has blown
 The fetch
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o
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 The distance that wind can blow across open water
 As the amount of energy transferred from the wind to the water
increases, the height (amplitude) and steepness of the waves increase
as well.
Ocean Wave Movement
o Do ocean waves transport energy or water?
o When the wind blows over the water it creates kinetic energy from molecules of
air to molecules of water.
 Waves to not transport water. It just appears that way.
 Water travels in a fixed circle. (look in the book about this
phenomenon)
Waves at the Shore
o What happens when an ocean wave reaches shore?
 Waves approach the shore the water is shallower
 The wave touches the bottom and this slows down the speed of the
wave.
 Further out to sea the waves are slightly faster and catch up to the
waves in front of them making the wavelength shorter.
 As the speed and length lessen the wave grows taller (amplitude
increases)
 When the wave can no longer support itself and it breaks
 Causing water to move onto the shore and transfer its energy
o Tsunamis can be caused by large amounts of water displaced by earthquake,
landslide, volcanic eruption, or comet/meteorite strike.
Vocabulary
 Wave
 Trough
 Mechanical wave
 Ocean wave
 Wavelength
 Tsunami
 Crest
 Wave period
Lesson 3: Ocean Currents
o Essential Questions: How does water move in the ocean?
o Key Topics:
 Be able to describe the movement of ocean water, explain what factors influence this
movement, and explain why ocean circulation is important in Earth’s system
 Surface currents in the Ocean
o Surface currents are stream-like movements of water at or near the ocean’s
surface
 Deep Currents in the Ocean
o Currents that occur deep in the ocean are caused by differences in water
density
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o
Upwelling
o Occurs when dense, cold water rised and brings nutrients to the ocean’s
surface.
Ocean Circulation
o As ocean currents travel, they move energy and matter.
o Ocean’s Surface
 Absorbs energy from the sun which warms water.
 Carry this energy from the equator to the poles
o Ocean dissolves different kinds of matter and move them examples:
 Sodium chloride
 Gases
 Oxygen
 Nitrogen
 Carbon dioxide
 Others
 Animals
 Plants
Vocabulary
 Ocean current
 Deep current
 Surface current
 Convection current
 Coriolis effect
 Upwelling