Miss CS
Marine Biology
Module 1 Study Guide
1. Definitions:
a. The oceanic crust is the part of the
earth's crust that is mostly made up of basalt, is relatively dense, and is
about 5 kilometers thick.
b.
The
continental crust is the part of the earth's crust that is mostly made up of
granite, is less dense than the oceanic crust, and is 20-50 kilometers thick.
c.
Plate
tectonics is the process involving the movement of large plate on the earth's
mantle.
d. A mid-ocean
ridge is a continuous chain of underwater volcanic mountains, encompassing the
earth.
e. Seafloor
spreading is the process that creates new sea floor as an area moves away from
the mid-ocean ridges.
f. Subduction
is the downward movement of a plate into the earth's mantle when two plates
collide.
g. A
continental shelf is the gently sloped, shallow section of the edge of the
continent extending from the shore to the point where the floor gets steeper.
h. A
continental slope is the steeper section of a continental edge, extending
seaward from the continental shelf.
i. A continental rise is the gently
sloping area at the base of the continental slope.
j. Specific
heat is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of a
substance by 1.00 degree Celsius.
k. Salinity is
the amount of salt dissolved in a solvent.
l. Your Answer:
The Coriolis effect is the way in which the rotation of the earth bends the
path of the wind and the resulting sea currents.
m. Gyres are
large, mostly circular systems of surface currents driven by the wind.
n. A Spring
Tide is a time of largest tidal range due to the gravitational pull of the sun
and moon. This occurs during new and full moons.
o. A Neap Tide
is a time of smallest tidal range due to the sun and moon being located at
right angles to each other. This occurs during quarter moons.
2. The four ocean basins in the are
world are the Artic Ocean Basin, the Indian Ocean Basin, the Atlantic Ocean
Basin, and the Pacific Ocean Basin, in order of increasing size.
3. The oceanic crust is made of basalt,
is relatively dense, and is thinner than the continental crust. The continental
crust is made of granite, is less dense than the oceanic crust and is a lot
thicker.
4. The plates under the certain area
would be sliding past each other, creating a sheer boundary.
5. There is mostly subduction happening
in the
6. The
7. You would find most oceanic life on
the continental shelf.
8. Hydrogen bonding keeps the molecules
of water together.
9. High specific heat helps to keep the
water at a relatively close temperature all the time.
10. The salinity of the
water will increase and leave a residue along the shoreline(if
it occurs there). If the water's temperature drops, the surface water will sink
below the deep layer and push the deep layer up to the surface. This is called
overturn.
11. The ocean is blue because the blue
light waves penetrate deeper than most wavelengths and the water reflects the
color of the sky.
12. The creature did not survive because
it lived at such a depth that when it was brought through the atmospheres of
pressure to the surface, it could not live with so little pressure.
13. Because of
the coriolis effect the wind on the earth does not
move in a straight line.
14. All of the gyres would
switch direction(if the gyres move in a clockwise direction,
it would now be a counter-clockwise rotation).
15. Water molecules in a wave move in a
circular motion, only energy moves along with the wave.
16. Because the sun and moon are aligned, the gravitational pull
is greatest and thus the tides have the most difference during the Spring
Tides(or full and new moons).
17. On the top of the ocean
there is the surface layer, which extends 100-200 meters. Below this is the
deep layer. In between the two layers, there is a small layer that separates
them. This is called the theromocline, which is about
200-1500meters below the surface of the water.