OCEAN WATER STUDY GUIDE
Draw the shape of the ocean floor and describe the following features: Island Continental shelf Continental slope Seamounts Mid-Ocean Ridge Abyssal Plain Trench
2. Which ocean floor feature passes across Earth’s entire ocean floor? Abyssal Plain Which ocean floor feature would receive the most amount of pressure? Trench
3. What happens to pressure as you go deeper into the ocean? It increases
4. What happens to temperature as you go deeper into the ocean? It decreases
5. What happens to density and salinity as you go deeper into the ocean? They increase!
The amount of dissolved salts in the water 6. What is salinity? The amount of dissolved salts in the water
The salinity decreases A RIVER flowing into an OCEAN 7. When a fresh water source meets a salt water source, what happens to the salinity? Give an example. The salinity decreases A RIVER flowing into an OCEAN
8. Where would the salinity of ocean water be the highest? The POLES (freezing) North Pole & South Pole
9. How do elements which combine to form salt get into Earth’s oceans? Through the processes of WEATHERING & EROSION
10. What causes waves? ENERGY from the WIND
11. How could you model a wave? Blowing your soup or cup of hot cocoa
The interaction of the Earth, Sun, & Moon. 12. What causes tides? The interaction of the Earth, Sun, & Moon.
13. How many hours are between a high or low tide and the next high or low tide?
14. If a high tide occurs at 11am, when will the next high tide occur? 11PM
15. What has the most influence on tides? The gravitational pull of the MOON!
16. Illustrate/Explain the arrangement (position) of the sun, Earth and moon at a neap tide and spring tide. Neap Tide Spring Tide
A large stream of moving water that flows through the ocean 17. What is a current? A large stream of moving water that flows through the ocean
18. How are surface currents similar to waves? Both are caused by the ENERGY of WIND!
19. What is the Coriolis Effect and what impact does it have on ocean currents? The way Earth’s rotation makes winds in the Northern Hemisphere curve to the right & winds in the Southern Hemisphere curve to the left. It also causes the currents to curve right or left in the 2 hemispheres
20. What causes deep ocean currents? Differences in Density
21. Why do deep ocean currents flow more slowly than surface currents? Because of an increase in density & salinity found on the ocean floor.
22. Why do currents curve in the Northern Hemisphere? Due to the Coriolis Effect!
2 23. How many low tides occurred on Saturday? ____ How many High Tides? _____ 24. If high tide occurred at 3:00 A.M on Monday, what time did the next high tide occur? 25. At what time(s) did high tide occur on Sunday? 2 3:15PM 2:20PM and 2:45AM