MAR 105 – Exam I Review Sheet- Spring 2011
Dr. Anastasia
INTRODUCTION
Key words:
oceanography
marine geology
Physical oceanography
marine biology
chemical oceanography
Marine engineering
Key concepts:
-know ocean covers 71% of the earth’s surface & has an average temp of 4oC
-know what oceanography is, the subdisciplines and what is studied in each
-be able to identify the following oceans on a map of the world: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian,
Arctic; be able to identify the following water bodies on a map of Long Island: Long
Island Sound, Atlantic Ocean, Great South Bay, Peconic Bay
Sample Essay Questions:
1. Name the five subdisciplines of oceanography and describe what scientists in each
field study.
2. a) Identify the following oceans on this map of the world: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian,
Arctic. b) Identify the following water bodies on the map of Long Island: Long Island
Sound, Atlantic Ocean, Great South Bay, Peconic Bay.
EARTH STRUCTURE & PLATE TECTONICS
Key terms
density
crust
granite
basalt
mantle
core
lithosphere
asthenosphere
mesosphere (lower mantle)
outer core
inner core
convection
conduction
Alfred Wegener
continental drift
Pangea
seafloor Spreading
subduction zones
Plate Tectonics
divergent plate boundary
convergent plate boundary
transform plate boundary
paleomagnetism
hot spots
Key concepts
-know how to classify the layers of the earth by chemical composition AND by physical
properties. Be able to name the layers using each classification scheme & describe their
characteristics
-know the difference between oceanic crust & continental crust
-know how pressure and temperature change as you move through the layers of the earth
and their effects on the behavior of rocks
-know the internal source of heat inside the earth and how heat moves by conduction or
convection
-know how old the earth is
-be able to describe Wegener’s theory of continental drift
-know that the ocean floor is relatively young & why
-know what sea-floor spreading is and where it occurs
-know the information that came together to form the theory of plate tectonics
-understand plate movement at the different types of plate boundaries and what features
and geological activity occurs at each boundary
-know what other evidence confirmed the idea of plate tectonics (paleomagnetism, hot
spots) and describe what the evidence is
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MAR 105 – Exam I Review Sheet- Spring 2011
Dr. Anastasia
Sample Essay Questions:
1. If your were exploring the surface of another planet, how would you know whether
plate tectonics was occurring?
2. Name the three types of plate boundaries. Describe the motions of the plates at each
boundary and the features of the ocean floor that you would see there.
3. Draw a diagram of the cross-section of the earth and label the layers by both chemical
composition and by physical properties
THE OCEAN FLOOR: CONTINENTAL MARGINS & OCEAN BASINS
Key terms
continental margins
ocean basin
passive margin
Active margin
continental shelf
continental slope
Shelf break
continental rise
submarine canyons
oceanic ridges
hydrothermal vents
chemosynthesis
abyssal plains
abyssal hills
seamounts
guyots
trenches
island arcs
Key concepts
-know the difference between active and passive continental margins and the structures
found at each
-be able to identify the features of a continental margin (continental shelf, shelf break,
continental slope, continental risem, submarine canyons)
-know what factors affect continental shelf width
-know what oceanic ridges are and the process occurring at them
-be able to describe the formation of hydrothermal vents & why organisms are able to
survive near them
-be able to describe each feature of the ocean floor and where it is usually found
-know how each of the structures of the deep ocean basin form at mid-ocean ridges and
how erosion, movement and sediment cover change them
Sample Essay Questions:
1. How do active margins differ from passive margins? Why? Describe the features
typical of each type of continental margin.
2. Draw a cross section of a typical ocean basin. Label as many features of the
continental margin and deep ocean basin as you can.
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SEAWATER
Key terms
atom
electron
proton
neutron
molecule
covalent bonds
ions
ionic bonds
polar
hydrogen bonds
cohesion
solution
salinity
outgassing
pH
acid
Key concepts
-know the basic structure of an atom
-know what covalent and ionic bonds are
-know what a molecule of water looks like and that it has polar covalent bonds
-know what properties of water are due to its polarity and the hydrogen bonds it forms
(cohesion, universal solvent)
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MAR 105 – Exam I Review Sheet- Spring 2011
Dr. Anastasia
-understand the differences between the 3 states of matter, particularly for water
-know what salinity is
-know the sources of the salts dissolved in the ocean (weathering of surface rocks and
outgassing) and what removes salts from the oceans
-know what the main gases dissolved in water are and how and why their concentrations
vary with depth
-know what pH is and what it measures (concentrationof H+ ions). Know that low pH
(<7) means the solution is acidic and high pH (>7) means the solution is basic or alkaline
-know the average pH of seawater and how increasing CO2 can change this
Sample Essay Questions:
1. A)Explain what it means when we say that water is polar.
B)Explain how water’s polarity leads to cohesion and water’s dissolving power.
2. A) Define salinity
B)What are the sources of the ocean’s salts and what are some processes that remove
salts from the ocean?
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SEAWATER
Key terms
heat
temperature
specific heat capacity
latent heat
pycnocline
thermocline
halocline
surface zone or mixed layer
deep zone
Key concepts
-know the difference between heat and temperature
-know what specific heat capacity is and why water has one of the highest specific heat
capacities known
-know how the density of pure water changes with temperature and why ice floats
-know what latent heat is and how it may impact global climate
-know how dissolved salts change the properties of pure water (the difference between
seawater and pure water in freezing point, specific heat capacity, density)
-know processes that change the salinity of ocean water
-know how temperature and salinity affect density of water
-know the three density zones of the ocean and how a thermocline and/or halocline lead
to a pycnocline
-know how layering changes across different parts of the world (polar, tropics and
temperate zones)
Sample Essay Question:
1. What two factors affect density of seawater and HOW do they change density?
How is the ocean stratified (or layered) by density and what are the names given
to the layers?
2. Describe how the density of water changes with decreasing temperature including
the change of state to ice. Be sure to explain why the density is changing in the
way you describe.
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