Ocean and Coastal
Processes
The Origin of Earth’s Water
Magma
1. Most water came from __________ originating deep
within Earth’s molten interior.
Comets (dirty
2. Some water could have come from ________
snowballs) from outer space.
Sources of salts
96.5 % Water
_____
3.5 & Salts
_____
more
Seawater is ________
dense than pure water.
Chemical
1. _____________
weathering of rocks release salts.
2. Runoff (overland flow) and groundwater dissolve salts in bedrock
and soil, delivering about ___________
tons of dissolved solids to
4 billion
the oceans each year.
Ocean Currents: ESRT page 4
4
1. Water is most dense at ______°C
2. The primary cause of deep ocean
currents is differences in
____________.
density
3. Cold water is _______
dense than
More
warm water so it sinks.
ESRT page 1
4. The movement and circulation of ocean waves along the surface
follows __Wind_ circulation.
5. Winds and ocean currents curve over long distances due
to Earth’s
_________________.
This is called the
roataion
Coriolis effect
___________________.
gyre
6. A _______
is a large, curving pattern of circulation in the
ocean.
Questions: Surface Ocean Currents ESRT page 4
1. According to The Earth Science Reference Tables, which location has
a coastal climate that is generally made warmer by the influence of a
nearby ocean current?
(1) Southern California
(2) Peru in South America
(3) Brazil in South America
(4) Northwestern Africa near the Canary Islands
2. The Canaries Current along the west coast of Africa and the Peru
Current along the west coast of South America are both
(1) warm currents that flow away from the equator
(2) warm currents that flow toward the equator
(3) cool currents that flow away from the equator
(4) cool currents that flow toward the equator
3. Warm water from tropical oceans is carried to northern Europe
by the Gulf Stream and the
(1) Alaska Current
(2) Canaries Current
(3) North Atlantic Current
(4) Brazil Current
4. Which surface ocean current transport warm water to higher latitudes?
(1) Labrador Current
(2) Falkland Current
(3) Kuroshio Current
(4) Peru Current
5. Most surface ocean currents in the northern and southern
hemisphere do not curve in the same direction. Describe the direction
in which most surface ocean currents curve in the Northern
Hemisphere.
Currents and Climate
Specific heat
1.Water has a high ________________
compared to most materials.
ESRT page 1
It takes water a long time
to heat up and cool down
because of its high specific
heat capacity.
2. This means that the temperature of ocean water does not
rock
change as quickly as the temperature of _____________
and
soil
___________.
REGENTS REVIEW QUESTION
1. Equal masses of granite, iron, basalt, and liquid water are at room
temperature. Each substance then absorbs then same amount of
additional heat energy. Assuming no phase change, which substance
would change least in temperature?
1. granite
2. iron
3. basalt
4. liquid water
2. Pieces of lead, copper, iron, and granite, each having a mass of 1
kilogram and a temperature of 100°C, were removed from a
container of boiling water and allowed to cool under identical
conditions. Which piece most likely cooled to room temperature
first?
1. copper
2. lead
3. iron
4. granite
3. Equal volumes of the four samples shown
below were placed outside and heated by energy
from the Sun’s rays for 30 minutes.
The surface temperature of which sample
increased at the slowest rate?
1.water
2.copper pennies
3.basaltic sand
4.iron fragments
small
3. Coastal locations usually have a _____________
range of
temperature than do inland locations.
4. Cold and warm currents also affect coastal
temperatures
_________________.
cold
5. California has a ______________ ocean current therefore
the air temperature is cooler
_________ than normal.
6. People that live along the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic
warmer
coastline of the United States have a ____________
climate
Gulf Stream
due to the __________________
Ocean current.
Questions
1. Describe how ocean surface currents near the coast
change the climate of the southern coastal region of
Alaska.
Alaskan current causes the climate to be
warmer.
2. Explain how there could be palm trees in England which is
located at an equal latitude as Canada.
England is affected by the warm North
Atlantic Current
Tides
Gravitational pull
1.The tides are caused by ______________
of the moon and the sun.
Moon
2.The __________
has a greater gravitation effect on Earth because it is much
closer to Earth.
2
2
3.There are approximately ______
high tides and ______
low tides everyday.
predictable and _____________
cyclic
4.Tides are a ____________
event. From high tide to high
tide the cycle takes place every _______
hours.
12
Spring tides
5.______________occurs
when the Earth, Moon, and Sun are all aligned.
Neap tides
90°
6. ______________
occurs when the Earth, Moon and Sun are at a ______
angle.
Coastal Processes
Rivers &
streams that
1. Two primary sources of sediment for beaches are __________
waves
bring sediment along the shore and ____________
that carry
sediment onto the beach.
Wind
2. Most energy of waves comes from __________.
Longshore
3. _____________ transport is the movement of waves parallel to the
shoreline.
Spit
4. The construction of a Groin (pier) causes the shoreline become
wider
wind is coming from.
_______ on the side of groin where the ______
Longshore current
5. Spits point to the direction of the __________________.
6. Which direction is the longshore current?
West
REGENTS REVIEW
1. Waves that erode the shore of Lake Ontario are caused
primarily by
1. the rotation of the Earth
2. differences in temperature of lake water along the shore
3. winds blowing over the lake surface
4. density variations within the lake
2. Students compared recent photographs of the beaches with photographs taken three
years ago and discovered that parts of the shoreline have changed. Which characteristic
of the shoreline probably has changed the most?
1.composition of the beach sand
2.size of the beaches
3.positions of the jetties
4.length of the peninsula
3. The diagram represents a shoreline along which
several general features have been labeled.
Which statement best describes the longshore current that is
modifying this coastline?
1. The current is flowing northward at a right angle to the
shoreline.
2. The current is flowing southward at a right angle away from
the shoreline.
3. The current is flowing eastward parallel to the shoreline.
4. The current is flowing westward parallel to the shoreline.
After the formation of the baymouth bar, the jetty (a
structure of rocks that extends into the water) labeled A was
constructed perpendicular to the shoreline. Which statement
best describes the result of the construction of this jetty?
1. Water current velocity at location B decreased.
2. Water current velocity at location B increased.
3. Sand deposition at location B decreased.
4. Sand deposition was not affected.