Submersible
An underwater vehicle built of strong
materials to resist pressure.
Sonar
A device that
determines the
distance of an
object under water
by recording echoes
of sound waves.
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/sonar.html
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/us-ocean-floor-mapping-vin
Continental Shelf
A gently sloping,
shallow area of the
ocean floor that
extends outward
from the edge of
the continent.
Continental Slope
A steep incline of the ocean floor leading
down to the edge of the continental shelf.
Mid-Ocean Ridge
An undersea
mountain chain
where new
ocean floor is
produced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGye6vlOpbY
Trench
A deep, steep-sided
canyon in the ocean floor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkeglSqQMyQ
Seamount
Mountains whose peaks do not break the
surface of the ocean water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_4NkUpot_s
Abyssal Plain
A smooth, nearly flat region of the deep ocean floor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxFazy_vDhE
Submarine Volcano
An underwater vent in
the Earth's surface
from which magma can
erupt.
They are estimated to
account for 75% of
annual magma output.
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/west-mata-submarinevolcano-vin?source=searchvideo
Section Two
Water Waves
The movement
of energy
through a body
of water.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/devel
opment-of-ocean-waves/
Wavelength
The horizontal distance between the crest of
one wave to the crest of the next wave.
Frequency
The number of waves that pass a specific point
in a given amount of time.
Wave Height
The vertical
distance from
the crest of a
wave to the
trough.
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/edu/learning/player/lesson
09.html
Rip Current
A rush of water that flows rapidly back to
sea through a narrow opening in a sandbar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9OMIKsTuqY
Tsunami
A giant wave
usually causes
by an
earthquake
beneath the
ocean floor.
Longshore Drift
The movement of the water and sediment down the
beach caused by waves coming in to shore at an angle.
Groin
A wall made from rocks
and concrete that is built
outward from the beach
to reduce erosion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9EhVa4MmEs
Section Three
Tides
The daily rise and fall
of Earth’s waters on
it’s coastlines.
The Hopewell Rocks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnDJ6_XpGfo
Spring Tide
A tide with the greatest difference between high and
low tides. They occur when the sun and moon are
aligned with Earth at the new moon and full moon.
Neap Tide
A tide with the least
difference between low
and high tide. They
occur when the sun and
moon pull at a right
angel to each other at
the first and third
quarters of the moon.
Ocean Water Chemistry
Section Four
Salinity
The total amount of dissolved salts in a water
sample.
How Salty is the Ocean?
• On average, seawater in the world's
oceans has a salinity of approximately
3.5%, or 35 parts per thousand.
• This means that for every 1 liter (1000
mL) of seawater there are 35 grams of
salts (mostly, but not entirely, sodium
chloride) dissolved in it.
Most of the salt
in the ocean is
sodium chloride,
which is made
up of the
elements
sodium and
chloride.
Page 373
Where does the salt come from?
– Weathering of rocks on the continents is one source of
elements found in seawater.
– The second major source of elements found in seawater is from
Earth’s interior.
• Volcanic eruptions emitted water vapor and elements – chlorine,
bromine, sulfur and boron.
How does the ocean change with depth?
How does the temperature change with
depth?
As you go deeper
into the ocean sun
light decreases. This
causes temperature
to decreases.
How does pressure change as you go deeper
into the ocean?
• Pressure increases at the rate of 10 times the air pressure at sea level
per 100 meters of depth.
How does salinity change as you go deeper
into the ocean?
• Rainfall decreases the amount of salinity near the
surface, while evaporation increases salinity in warm,
dry areas. Below the surface salinity remains fairly
constant throughout.
• Density- salinity affects the density of water. Water with
more salt is more dense.
How does color and light change with
depth?
Sunlight only goes through the surface of the
ocean. First it appears yellowish, then bluegreen, as the water absorbs the red light. No
light reaches below 200 about meters
PAGE 376
Section Five
Currents and Climate
Current
Is a large stream of moving water that flows
through the ocean.
The largest surface ocean current in North America is The Gulf
Stream! This current in the North Atlantic, carries 4500 times
more water than the Mississippi River. Each second, ninety
million cubic meters of water is carried past Chesapeake Bay
(US) in the Gulf Stream. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu_Ga0JYFNg
What affects do current have on
climate?
Currents affects climate by moving cold and warm air water
around the globe. A surface current warms or cools the air
above it, influencing the climate of the land near the coast.
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/current.html
Coriolis Effect
The effect of Earth’s rotation on the direction
of winds and currents.
Climate
The average, year-after-year
conditions of temperature,
precipitation, winds, and clouds in an
area.
Upwelling
The movement of cold water upward from the deep
ocean that is caused by wind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69mTYCjOET0