Introduction to Planet Earth

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Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from an introductory oceanography lecture.

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38 Terms

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World Ocean

The most prominent feature of Earth, covering approximately 71% of its surface and the origin of life.

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Oceanus/Hydrosphere

Alternative names that may better describe our planet considering 97.2% of surface water is ocean water.

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Four Principal Oceans

Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic Oceans.

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Southern/Antarctic Ocean

The ocean surrounding Antarctica, distinguished by a major shift in global wind belts and ocean circulation.

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Pacific Ocean

The largest and deepest ocean, making up about half of the Earth's ocean area.

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Atlantic Ocean

About half the size of the Pacific Ocean and separates the old world from the new.

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Indian Ocean

Smaller than the Atlantic Ocean, as deep, and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere.

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Arctic Ocean

A very small and shallow ocean with a permanent layer of sea ice.

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Mariana's Trench

The deepest part of the ocean, located in the Pacific Ocean, with a depth of 36,000 feet.

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Seven Seas

Large bodies of water that are smaller and shallower than oceans and are enclosed by land with a direct connection to the ocean. Includes: Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Black Sea, Adriatic Sea, Caspian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean.

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Sargasso Sea

Unique sea east of the United States characterized by floating sargassum algae.

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Pacific Navigators

The earliest and best navigators, populating islands from Southeast Asia to Micronesia and Polynesia, demonstrating skilled voyaging.

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Phoenicians

Credited as the first explorers in the Western Hemisphere, exploring the Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean, and developing the alphabet.

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Greeks

Advanced scientific thought and sailing by determining latitude using the North Star and calculating the Earth's circumference.

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Eratosthenes

Greek scientist who accurately calculated the circumference of the Earth around 300 years before the common era.

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Arabs

Dominant navigators in the Mediterranean Sea during the Middle Ages, trading with East Africa, India, and Southeast Asia using monsoon winds.

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Vikings

Explored Iceland, Greenland, and parts of Canada (Vinland/Newfoundland) and credited as the first European cultures to settle in the Americas.

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Prince Henry the Navigator

Portuguese figure who trained explorers and sparked interest in finding new trade routes, leading to the Age of Discovery.

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Christopher Columbus

Explorer financed by Spain who landed in Hispaniola and the Caribbean, but never set foot in North America.

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Ferdinand Magellan

Led the first attempt to circumnavigate the globe, though killed during the voyage; his crew completed the journey.

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Captain James Cook

English navigator who led voyages strictly for scientific purposes, measuring ocean characteristics and benefiting from the chronometer.

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Scurvy

A disease caused by vitamin C deficiency, which was mitigated by Captain Cook through the introduction of sauerkraut to sailors' diets.

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Oceanography

An interdisciplinary science combining geology, biology, chemistry, physics, and astronomy to understand the oceans.

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Scientific Method

A logical method involving observation, hypothesis, testing, and theory development to understand and predict natural phenomena.

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Nebular Hypothesis

The theory that bodies in the solar system formed from a nebula, a cloud of gases and space dust, primarily hydrogen and helium.

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Protoplanets

Formed through the collision of mass material in the rotating disk surrounding the proto-sun, including Earth.

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Density Stratification

The formation of distinct chemical layers on Earth due to the sinking of denser materials (iron and nickel) to the core and the rising of lighter elements.

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Lithosphere

The rigid outer layer of the Earth composed of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle.

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Asthenosphere

The hot, weak, and plastic layer in the mantle that the lithosphere floats on.

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Continental Crust

The thicker and less dense type of crust composed primarily of granite.

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Oceanic Crust

The thinner and denser type of crust composed primarily of basalt.

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Outgassing

The process by which gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, and sulfur dioxide are expelled from volcanic vents, forming the Earth's early atmosphere.

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Stromatolites

Fossilized remains of ancient photosynthesizing bacteria, providing evidence of early life on Earth.

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Great Oxidation Event

The time in Earth's history when photosynthesizing organisms caused a dramatic increase in atmospheric oxygen.

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Heterotrophs

The earliest forms of life that require an external food supply.

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Autotrophs

Organisms that manufacture their own food through processes like photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

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Chemosynthesis

A process used by some bacteria to generate their own food using chemicals from volcanic or hydrothermal vents.

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Radiometric Age Dating

A method used to determine the age of rocks and minerals based on the decay of radioactive elements.