Download Study Guide for Oceanography Test 2016

Study Guide for Oceanography Test
 A wave is the movement of energy through a medium
 Waves slow down when they approach the shore due to friction with the bottom of the
ocean
 As salinity increases the density of water increases
 Sodium Chloride is the most abundant salt in ocean water
 As depth increases so does the pressure
 Deep currents in the ocean are caused by density differences either through salinity
content or temperature differences
 Currents carry warm water from the tropics towards the poles
 Waves are caused primarily by wind blowing across the ocean surface
 The wavelength is the crest to crest measurement
 The crest is the highest point of a wave the trough is the lowest point of a wave
 The height of wave is not affected by salinity content
 Spring tides occur 2 times a month during new and full moons.
 Tides are caused by the interaction of the sun-moon-earth system
 Neap tides have the lowest tidal range while spring tides have the highest tidal range. To
calculate tidal range you subtract the low tide from the high tide. The difference is the
tidal range.
 Salinity is the measurement of the amount of salt dissolved in the ocean water
 The bay at the mouth of a river would have the lowest salinity. The tropics or deep
water in the poles will have the highest salinity content.
 The average salinity in the ocean is about 35 parts per thousand
 As you descend the water column pressure increases, temperature decreases.
 A current is a large stream of moving water.
 The Coriliois effect causes currents in the northern hemisphere curve to the right
 The mid-ocean ridge is a continuous mountain chain that stretches around the Earth
 A trench is a deep canyon (valley) found in the ocean
 The flat layer of the ocean floor is called an abyssal plain
 The gently sloping shallow portion of the ocean is called a continental shelf
 The continental slope is where the continent ends and the ocean begins
 Benthos are organisms that live on the ocean floor.