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Ocean Study Guide
27 cards·by KickStick12345678910
What does the size of a wave depend on?
How far, how fast, and how long the wind blows.
Tsunamis are sometimes called tidal waves, and are different from surface waves: they are
usually caused by...
...underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or landslides.
What do you call the circular patterns in which the world's oceans travel?
Currents; which flow like rivers.
What body fo water can these patterns be compared to?
Rivers; because currents flow like rivers.
What else causes currents to flow?
Winds, continents, and the Coriolis effect make currents flow around the oceans in huge loops
called gyres. As well as energy from the sun.
Do all currents have the same characteristics?
No
What makes them different?
Each current has its own characteristic salinity, density, and temperature.
Besides cold water what does the Humboldt current normally bring to the surface?
In addition to cold water, the Humboldt current normally also brings minerals and other
nutrients that feed huge schools of fish.
What is a storm surge?
A storm surge is a rise in the ocean as the result of strong winds from a hurricane or other
intense storm.
What is the Average Depth of the ocean?
The Average Depth of the ocean is 12,200 feet (3,720 meters) deep.
What is the Deepest point and where is it?
The Deepest point is 36,198 feet (11,033 meters) deep, and is in the Mariana Trench in the
western Pacific.
What is the highest Mountain and where is it?
The highest Mountain is Mauna Kea, and it is in Hawaii. It rises 33,474 feet (10,203 meters)
from its base on the ocean floor.
Around most continents are shallow seas that cover gently sloping areas. What are these areas
called?
Around most continents are shallow seas that cover gently sloping areas called continental
shelves.
Where do the continental shelves end?
The continental shelves end at the steeper continental slopes, which lead down to the deepest
parts of the ocean.
What is beyond the continental slope?
Beyond the continental slope is the abyss.
What are the deepest parts of the ocean called?
The deepest parts of the ocean are called trenches.
What does sonar stand for?
Sonar stands for sound navigation and ranging.
How fast does sound travel in water?
Sound travels at about 1,500 meters a second in water.
What are the three subdivisions of the continental margin?
The three subdivisions of the continental margin are the continental shelf, the continental
slope, and the continental rise.
What forms features on the ocean floor?
The movement of tectonic plates forms features on the ocean floor.
What are mountains on the ocean floor that can turn into volcanic islands called?
Seamounts
What are three resources that are available from the ocean?
Three resources that are available from the ocean are food, raw materials, energy, and
drinkable water.
What kinds of seafood are raised and harvested in farms?
Fish, shrimp, oysters, crabs, and mussels are kinds of seafood that are raised and harvested
in farms.
What is kelp?
Kelp is a seaweed that is harvested and used as a thickener in jellies and ice cream.
What is desalination?
Desalination is the process of removing salt from sea water.
What are three advantages of tidal energy?
Three advantages of tidal energy are that it is clean, inexpensive, and a renewable resource.
Mineral nodules in the ocean are made mostly of...
Manganese