Physical Oceanography Chapter 15 Major Oceans The three

Physical Oceanography Chapter 15

Major Oceans • The three major oceans are : Pacific 1. _______-largest, deepest, coldest, least salty. 2. _____second largest, shallow, warm, Atlantic salty. 3. _____Indian intermediate in depth, temperature, and salinity. Arctic • The _______Ocean near the north pole, and the Antarctic ______ Ocean near the south pole contain vast expanses of sea ice.

Methods of Studying the Ocean The Topex/Poseidon _______ satellite orbits 1331 km above the Earth, gathering information about the oceans. Sonar _______ maps ocean floor topography by timing how long it takes sound waves to bounce off the ocean floor. submersibles Underwater vessels called _________ investigate the deepest ocean trenches.

Sonar (also called echo-sounding) • Sound waves travel how fast in seawater? 1, 454 m/s • How deep is the water if it takes ten seconds for the sound wave to go from ship to ocean floor and back to ship? 7, 270 m Calculation: (10 s times 1, 454 m/s divided by 2 )

submersible • The picture below is of a _______.

Salinity The amount of salt per unit water is known as salinity. Na. Cl The most abundant salt in seawater is ____, but there are many other salts present in the form of ions. The average salinity of seawater is _____ 35 ppt. Therefore, for every 1, 000 ml water, there are ___ 35 grams of dissolved salts. Near the equator salinity is _____ lower than average due to greater precipitation __________. lower Near the poles salinity is _____ than average due to melting sea ice ________. higher In the Mediterranean the salinity is _____than average due to _____. evaporation

The salinity here would likely be: A. 35 ppt B. 34 ppt C. 36 ppt

Colorful Seawater • What makes the ocean water in the picture to the left different colors? • differences in depth Why would a shrimp that appears bright red at the surface appear black at greater depths, and why might this be beneficial? Longer (red) wavelengths are absorbed before reaching deep water. Shrimp can hide and not become a meal.

Label the three ocean layers in the diagram below. Surface layer Thermocline Bottom layer

Ocean Movements Label the wave diagram below with the following terms: wavelength, waveheight, trough, crest trough wavelength waveheight

Tides Label the key with the correct tide cycle names: semidiurnal mixed diurnal

Seafloor Topography H A Match the following terms to their correct letter in the diagram: H. Island A. Continental shelf B. Continental slope D. Abyssal plain F. Seamount C. Continental rise G. Trench E. Guyot B F E C D D G

Listed below are some of the major surface currents. The force wind which generates these currents is ______.

Chapter Review 1. What is the average salinity of seawater? 35 ppt 2. What is the deepest area of the seafloor? trench 3. What is the largest ocean? 4. Why is the ocean “blue”? Pacific shorter wavelengths not absorbed 5. What is the force responsible for surface currents? wind in temperature and 6. What causes density currents? differences salinity 7. What causes tides? gravity of the sun and moon 8. List the 3 tidal patterns. diurnal, semidiurnal, mixed 9. What is the highest part of a wave called? 10. Name the ocean that borders Virginia. crest Atlantic