Oceans and Estuaries Study Guide
Completion
Complete each sentence or statement.
1. wind-driven currents ____________________.
2. a current that brings deep, nutrient-rich water to the surface ____________________.
3. deep-water currents caused by cold water sinking and pushing up warmer water
____________________.
4. organisms that make their own food ____________________.
5. _____________________ is the major current off the east coast of the United States.
6. Ocean water at the mouth of a large river would have a salinity ____________________ (greater
than, less than, the same as) the water in the middle of the ocean.
7. A collection of organisms and the nonliving factors that affect them is ____________________
(an ecosystem, a community, a population).
8. ____________________ is a measure of the amount of salts dissolved in seawater.
9. role of an organism in an ecosystem ____________________
10. The struggle among organisms to obtain resources for reproduction and survival is called
____________________ (competition, capacity).
11. The physical location where an organism lives is its ____________________ (habitat,
population).
Matching
Match each item with the correct statement.
a. California Current
f. La Niña
b. cold-water
g. buoys
c. drought
h. Tropics
d. El Niño
i. upwelling
e. Gulf Stream
j. warm-water
____
12.
type of current that creates warmer climates in coastal areas
____
13.
type of current that creates cooler climates in coastal areas
____
14.
where the Gulf Stream and other warm currents originate
____
15.
ocean current that warms the British Isles
____
16.
ocean current that cools the West Coast of the United States
____
17.
____
18.
current
the movement of cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface of the ocean
a change in the water temperature of the Pacific Ocean that produces a warm
____
19.
a change in the water temperature of the eastern Pacific Ocean that produces cooler
than usual surface water temperatures
Short Answer
20. How did Earth’s first oceans form?
21. Explain the water cycle using the terms condensation, evaporation, and precipitation.
22. What is the difference between point-source and nonpoint-source pollution?
23. Identify three sources of point-source pollution.
24. How is the global ocean divided, and what are the divisions?
25. What are two factors that control deep currents?
27. How do longshore currents shape the land?
28. Can ocean currents be caused by differences in water temperature? Explain how.
29. Can ocean currents be caused by differences in salinity?
30. Explain how ocean temperatures affect the climate of coastal cities.
31. Compare and contrast the roles of producers and consumers in the ocean.
32. Would you expect water off the beaches of southern California to be warmer or cooler than water
off the beaches of Florida. Why?
33. Explain upwelling and tell why fishers look forward to it.
35. Identify the things the ocean provides that promote life in the ocean.
36. Compare & contrast plankton & nekton by putting the letter of the statement in the correct column.
If a statement refers to more than 1 form of life, put its letter in each column that it refers to.
1. Plankton
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
2. Nekton
Plants and animals that depend on currents to move them are included in this group.
The animals in this group can swim.
These are forms of life in the ocean.
This group includes kelp, which grows from depths of up to 30 m.
Animals in this group can control their buoyancy (how they float).
These find necessary conditions for life in the ocean.
Whales are a member of this group.
This group includes jellyfish, newly hatched crabs, and copepods.
37. How is Sun energy the basis for many of the ocean’s food chains?
38. What might happen if one link of a food chain is destroyed?
39. What are three things that oceans provide for organisms?
40. Name four ways that pollutants may be introduced into the ocean.
41. Define a food chain and compare it with a food web.
42. What are the abiotic factors that determine what lives in an environment?
43. Explain the steps of a food chain.
Essay
44. El Niño can prevent upwelling along the Pacific Coast. What might happen if normal upwelling does
not take place? Make predictions and support them with facts.
45. Why should people who live in coastal areas learn about currents, waves, and tides? Give examples
of how waves and tides could affect everyday lives.