Study Guide
Earth Systems
Ch 14, 15, 16
1.
Approximately how much of Earth’s surface is covered by land? 30%
2.
Name the four major oceans. Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic
3.
Be able to label the four major oceans on a world globe.
4.
What technology do scientists use to measure ocean depth? Sonar
5.
List two things that submersibles can do. 1) Collect data about areas of the ocean that were previously unreachable by humans and 2) remain underwater for long periods of time
6.
List the three major regions of the ocean floor. 1) continental margins 2) ocean basin floor
3) mid-ocean ridges
7.
The gently sloping submerged surface extending from the shoreline toward the deep ocean is called continental shelf.
8.
Sediments derived primarily from the products of weathering on the continents are called
terrigenous sediment.
9.
List three energy resources obtained from the ocean. 1) oil 2) natural gas and 3)gas hydrates
10.
Heat from Earth’s interior and pressure from overlying rock transform the remains of marine sediments into what two things? Oil and natural gas
11.
The Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Mexico, and the North Sea are all known for their reserves of what ocean resource? Oil
12.
List three ocean resources. 1)sand 2) natural gas and 3)common table salt
13.
Which ocean resource is currently NOT economically profitable to mine? Manganese nodules
14.
What is the principal source of dissolved substances in the oceans? Weathering
15.
Which processes decrease the salinity of seawater? 1)runoff from land 2) precipitation and
3) icebergs melting
16.
High salinity would be found in an area with high rates of evaporation.
17.
Which layer of the ocean experiences a rapid change in density with depth? pycnocline
18.
In addition to salinity, what factor affects the density of seawater? temperature
19.
Where would you find the lowest density seawater? surface mixed zone
20.
Marine organisms are classified according to how they live and move.
21.
What is true about the level of sunlight at the deepest parts of the ocean floor? Animals live in constant darkness.
22.
How do animals survive in the deeper parts of the seafloor (What do they do for food)? They feed on each other.
23.
Give an example of a main producer of food in the ocean. Algae, bacteria, plants
Give an example of a top level consumer. Sharks
24.
How is chemical energy transferred from algae to marine animals? Feeding
25.
Ocean currents that move toward the poles are warm.(Warm or cold?)
26.
The influence of cold currents is mostly felt in the tropics.
27.
The rising of cold water from deeper layers to replace warmer surface water is called upwelling.

28.
Density currents move vertically.
29.
The vertical distance between trough and crest is called the wave height.
30.
What is visible evidence of energy passing through water? Wave
31.
The height, length, and period of a wave depend on what three things? 1) the length of time the wind has blown 2)wind speed and 3) fetch
32.
Which of the following is true about water particles in a wave in the open ocean? (Three things).
1) Water particles move in a circular path
2) The wave form moves forward, but the water particles do not advance appreciably
3) As the wave travels, water particles pass the energy along by moving in a circle.
33.
As the speed and length of a wave decrease, the wave grows higher.
34.
Circular orbital motion refers to water particles and the transfer of energy.
35.
The smallest daily tidal range occurs during which type of tide? neap tide
36.
Which tidal pattern has two high tides and two low tides each day? semidiurnal
37.
The spring tide and neap tide have what type of current? Tidal current
38.
Describe the tidal pattern shown in Figure 16-1. There is a single high tide and a single low tide each tidal day.
39.
Wave impact and pressure cause erosion.
40.
Isolated volcanic peaks on the ocean floor are called seamounts.
41.
Near shore, larger sand and gravel particles are moved along the ocean bottom by turbulence.
42.
What two things happen to waves when there is refraction in bays? 1) They spread out and
2) They expend less energy.
43.
One result of wave refraction is that wave energy is concentrated on headlands projecting into the water.
44.
What is a wave-cut platform? a flat, bench like surface
45.
A sandbar that completely crosses a bay, closing it off from the open ocean, is a baymouth bar.
46.
A ridge of sand projecting into a bay and often having a hooked end is a spit.
47.
What decreases beach erosion without the construction of protective structures?
Beach nourishment

48.
What three things are designed to prevent or slow shoreline erosion? 1) groin 2) seawall and
3) beach nourishment
49.
Approximately how much of Earth’s surface is covered by water? 70%
50.
Approximately when did the ocean become an important area of study? 200 years ago
51.
Which ocean has the greatest average depth? Pacific
52.
The largest of Earth’s oceans is the Pacific.
53.
What are seamounts? Volcanoes that form on the ocean floor
54.
Mineral-rich water, heated by newly formed oceanic crust, escapes through cracks in the ocean floor called hydrothermal vents.
55.
Most gas hydrates form when bacteria do what? Break down organic matter trapped in ocean- floor sediments.