Aice marine

Littoral zone

the area where the land meets the sea between the highest spring

tide and lowest spring tide water marks

ice erosion

ice crushing rock

glaciers crushing rocks by moving over it and crushing and continues to move carrying the sediments at the bottom of the glacier

gravity erosion

the moving of rock through gravitational forces

-rock falls off a cliff into ocean

wind erosion

wind blowing and picking up sediment

• gusts/hurricanes on beaches/desserts

sedimentation

Particles falling to the bottom of a liquid

faster the water

the larger particles it can carry

the smaller the particle

the longer it can stay in suspension

upwelling

a process in which deep, cold water rises toward the surface

downwelling

the movement of surface water in the ocean to deeper depths

currents

continuous , directional movement of seawater

o created by wind , temperature , salinity and density

surface currents

driven by global wind patterns

• caused by Sun’s uneven heating of Earth’s surface

Coriolis effect

deflection of currents clockwise in Norther hemisphere and

counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere

tides

periodic rise and fall of surface of water bodies

diurnal

1 high and low tide daily

semi – diurnal

2 high and low tide daily

earthquakes

sudden energy release from crust’s movement

• when 2 plates at convergent and transform boundaries get stuck , the pressure builds up until a plate releases its potential energy as a burst of

seismic energy

weathering

gradual breaking down of substances into smaller pieces

erosion

material is broken down and transported to a new location

chemical weathering

chemical composition of rock is changed mostly by oxygen or water

• rain dissolves ions in rock , often eroding as runoff

physical/mechanical weathering

When rocks are broken into smaller pieces without changing their chemical composition

• constant heating and cooling of rocks weaken structure

• water gets in cracks and increase size

• constant wave action against rocks , also chemical weathering

organic/biological weathering

performed by living organisms

• lichens release special compounds that weather rocks

• tree roots growing in rocks cracks , breaking the rock as it widen

El Nino

caused by Western winds stop blowing in their normal pattern , causing warm water to buildup on South American coast

• this stop upwelling usual with the Humbolt current

• this reduces primary productivity

• this damages fishing industries and disrupts food webs

La Nina

cooling phase after El Nino where stronger than average winds blow winds off the South American coast allowing for cold water from Humboldt current to upwell

• decreases sea temperature

• increases hurricane activity in Atlantic Basi

thermohaline circulation

deep water circulator caused by density differences due to temperature and salinity changes

• movements called global ocean conveyer belt

rocky shores

• made of a rocky substrate

• varies in slope and rock size

• most exposed , but resistant to erosion

abyssal plains

flat , sandy regions found between trenches and continental rise

• form due at divergent boundaries due to seafloor spreading and falling sediment falling on rock creating smooth , flat plain

hydrothermal vents

openings in the ocean floor where cold ocean water that has seeped in the crust is superheated by magma underneath and forced out

• occur within mid – ocean ridges at divergent boundaries

volcanoes

mountains with crater/vent where lava. hot vapor , gas, rock fragments are forced through Earth’s crust

trenches

narrow , deep canyons in seabed

• form at subduction zones of convergent boundaries

tsunamis

long , high – energy waves caused by seismic activity of earthquake or volcano

• energy is released and displaces large volume of water , the water holding onto the energy moves quickly until it slows down and grows exponentially in height as it grows closer to the coast

theory of plate tectonics

the lithosphere is divided into plates that are in float independently and are in constant movement due to the viscous asthenosphere , and can cause ocean features to form

convection currents

fluid/air movement based on temperature/density :

• warmer , less dense rock rises above colder , denser rock , and as rocks cool, they sink ; happening in a circular cycle

supported by evidence

• the geology of rock formations matched

• coastlines fit together like a jigsaw

• fossils and organisms are distributed on coasts of many continents paleomagnetic stripes

convergent boundary

trenches , volcanoes , earthquakes , tsunami

divergent boundary

ocean ridges , hydrothermal vent , volcano

transform boundary

earthquake , tsunami ; abyssal plains

tsunamis

energy is released and displaces large volume of water , the water holding

onto the energy moves quickly until it slows down and grows

exponentially in height as it grows closer to the coast

mid – ocean ridges

underwater mountain ranges with central valleys

• new crust forms due to the upwelling of magma that solidifies into rock at constructive zones of divergent boundaries