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Oceanography cont.
Oceanography
Basic Facts…
• The five major oceans/depths are Atlantic
(3.92km), Indian (3.96km), Pacific (4.0km),
Arctic (1.2km) and Southern (5.0km).
• A sea is part of an ocean that is nearly surrounded
by land.
• Seven Seas are all considered part of a global
ocean.
Ocean Water
• Ocean water consists of ALLthe
natural elements found on Earth
however is 96% pure water.
• Scientists that study the ocean
are called oceanographers.
• Oceanography is the study of the
composition of the water,
temperature/life zones, and
tide/wave interactions.
Oceanography pt 2
The 3 Temperature Zones
• These do not exist at the
polar regions.
• Surface zone – the zone
where the water is mixed
by waves and currents;
fairly warm (100-400
meters down)
More on zones…
• Thermocline –a zone
of rapid temperature
change. Does not
occur at a specific
depth.
• Thermo – means heat
• Cline – means change
in
Last zone…
• The deep zone – an
area of extremely cold
water that extends from
the bottom of the
thermocline to depths
of 4000 m or more. At
great depths the water
is about 4 degrees
Celsius. This is the
biggest zone.
Oceanography pt. 3
The Ocean Floor
Draw this diagram and label in your notes.
Features of the ocean floor…
• Shoreline – the area
where the land and the
ocean meet. Does not
mark the end of the
continent.
• A continental margin
consists of a continental
shelf, a continental
slope, and a continental
rise.
Continental margin…
• The shelf is the relatively
flat part that is covered by
shallow ocean water and
is where the best fishing
areas are found. At the
edge of the shelf the
ocean floor plunges
steeply 4 to 5 km. This is
the continental slope.
Exploring Ocean Depths
Continued…
• Where the crust of the
continent and the crust of
the ocean floor meet is
called the continental
rise. Sediments at bottom
are carried by turbidity
currents, like an
underwater avalanche.
Turbidity current demo…
More Features…
• Submarine canyons
– deep, v-shaped
valleys cut in rock.
One is actually
deeper than the
Grand Canyon
(Monterey
Submarine
Canyon)
Welcome to the Ocean Floor
Ocean Floor landforms…
• Abyssal plains – the flat
ocean floor and consists
of mud, sand, and silt
close to the continents.
Farther out is covered
with remains of tiny
organisms forming ooze.
More…
• Seamounts–are volcanic
mountains. Over 1000
have been discovered.
Some reach above the
ocean to form an island
Ex: Hawaii.
• A guyot is a seamount
with a flat top
(underwater plateau)
Life near the bottom
Yep…still more landforms…
• Trenches – the deepest
part of the ocean found
along the edges of the
ocean floor next to the
continents. The
Marianas Trench is the
deepest spot on the
Earth. (more than
11,000 meters deep)
Trench
Ocean Floor Landforms
Reefs
• Reef – the limestone
structures that contain the
shells of animals. They
surround islands offshore.
• Fringing Reef – coral
reefs that touch the
shoreline of a volcanic
island.
Reef Habitats
More types of reefs…
• Barrier reefs – coral reefs that are separated
from the shore by an area of shallow water
called a lagoon.
• Atoll – coral reef that surrounds an island
that has been worn away and sunk beneath
the surface.
Barrier reefs and Atolls
Tides
• Tides are caused by
gravitational pull between
the sun, earth, and moon.
• Spring tide – the highest
high tide
• Neap tide – the weakest
high tide
Exploring the Ocean
Bio telemetry
Sonar
AUV (Autonomous
Underwater
Vehicle)
ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle)
Upwelling
Ocean Great Discoveries