Oceanography and Climate – Unit Review
Answer the following questions on a SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER
Chapter 2
1. What are the 5 oceans of the world?
2. How did the oceans form?
3. What is salinity?
4. List some dissolved solids that can be found in ocean water (from most abundant to least abundant)?
5. Salinity-climate relations. (warm & dry; cool and humid)
6. Describe 3 Ocean Temperature Zones
7. To what depth does sunlight penetrate ocean water? How does the remaining portion of the surface zone become heated?
8. How/why does the temperature of the surface zone vary during different times of the year (excluding waters near the
equator)?
9. How does the ocean regulate temperatures in the atmosphere? (What unique property does water have?)
10. Describe the water cycle.
11. Describe different ways that technology is used to study the ocean floor.
12. Describe each of the following ocean floor regions/features:
A. continental margin
B. deep-ocean basin
C. continental shelf
D. continental slope
E. continental rise
F. abyssal plain
G. mid-ocean ridge
H. rift valley
I. ocean trench
J. seamount
13. Describe 2 types of submersible vessels used to study the ocean floor.
Chapter 3
1. What are surface currents? What causes them? How do they affect water temperatures in the surface zone?
2. What 3 factors can affect surface currents? Describe each.
3. What are deep currents?
4. What is upwelling and why is it important to ocean life?
5. Describe the Coriolis Effect. How does this affect ocean waters in the northern and southern hemispheres?
6. Describe the formation and movement of deep currents (Fig. 7 & 8 in text)
7. Compare the size and speed of surface and deep currents.
8. Explain how warm-water currents affect climate. Use Gulf Stream as an example.
9. Explain how cold-water currents affect climate. Use California Current as an example.
10. What is El Nino?
11. Describe some effects of El Nino.
12. Explain why and how scientists study El Nino.
13. Describe the two types of waves.
14. How do most waves on the ocean’s surface form?
15. What are breakers?
16. Describe the following parts of a wave: (include a diagram for clarification)
A. Crest
B. Trough
C. Wavelength
D. Wave height
E. Wave period
17. How do most waves form? (describe the role of wind intensity and duration in forming waves).
18. Explain the interaction between shallow water waves and the ocean floor (what causes waves to break?).
19. Compare and contrast undertow and longshore currents.
20. What causes tides? (Earth-Moon-Sun dynamics)
21. What determines when tides occur? (Why are they not at the same time everyday?)
22. Compare and contrast Spring Tides and Neap Tides.
23. What is a tidal bore?
24. What is the “Global Conveyor Belt” and how does it affect the global climate?