ESC1000 - Oceans/Coral Reefs

Salinity

Amount of salt

Marine salinity

3.0% or 30 ppt

Average salinity

35ppt

Brackish salinity

0.5ppt - 30ppt

Fresh water

No salinity

Adds salinity

Constant evaporation and the creation of river caps.

Takes away salinity

Constant precipitation and melting of ice caps.

Pacific Ocean

Largest ocean, more than ½ the worlds water, located in the southern and northern hemisphere and greatest depths are 13,000ft/4000m

Atlantic Ocean

Narrow and connects the north and south poles, shallowest due to seas like the Caribbean, Mediterranean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Indian Ocean

Mostly in the Southern hemisphere, mostly warm water and third largest.

Arctic Ocean

Smallest ocean

Antarctic Ocean

NOT AN OCEAN!!!!

Deep sea fans

Sediments left by water currents.

Turbidity currents

Underwater landslides.

Submarine Canyons

Valley created by the erosion of river channels and turbidity currents.

Thermocline

Rapid decrease in temperature due to depth.

Halocline

Changes in salinity.

Seamounts

Underwater volcanoes.

Coral Reefs

Waters must remain above 65 degrees year-round, live with algae, only live above 150 feet and dominate the shelf in tropics.

Atolls

When extinct volcanic islands with coral fringes around them sinks beneath the water leaving a ring of growing coral and a lagoon in the islands place.

Active continental margins

Located at plate boundaries

Passive continental margins

Not located at plate boundaries

Continental shelf

Gradual slopping surface extending from the continents. Usally about 50 mi wide but varies, depth of abyt 500 ft.

Continental slope

Steeper drops at about 5-25 ft