Marine Science | Quizlet

Two-layered ocean

A model of the ocean with a surface layer of lighter, warmer water and a deep layer of colder, denser water.

Euryhaline

Resilient organism to high salinity levels

Bathymetry

The study and measurement of the depths and shapes of underwater terrain.

Hypsographic curve

A graph showing the distribution of Earth's surface elevations and ocean depths.

Topography

The arrangement of natural and artificial physical features of a land surface.

Abyssal plain

A flat, deep-sea floor region typically found at depths of 3,000 to 6,000 meterAbyssal plain

Abyssal basin

A large, relatively flat region of the deep ocean floor between the continental margin and mid-ocean ridges.

Lithosphere

The rigid outer layer of Earth, including the crust and the uppermost mantle.

Asthenosphere

A semi-fluid layer beneath the lithosphere that allows tectonic plates to move.

Major seas, oceans (5)

The five major oceans are the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic.

Satellite altimetry

A technique using satellites to measure sea surface height and ocean topography.

Abyssal canyon

A deep, steep-sided valley cut into the sea floor of the continental slope.

Continental shelf

The submerged extension of a continent, gently sloping and extending from the shore to the slope.

Fracture zone

A linear oceanic feature resulting from plate movement and characterized by a series of faults.

Mid-oceanic ridge

An underwater mountain range formed by plate tectonics where new oceanic crust is created.

Seamount

A submerged volcanic mountain rising from the ocean floor that does not reach the surface.

Trench

A deep, narrow depression in the ocean floor caused by subduction of one tectonic plate under another.

Island arc

A curved chain of volcanic islands formed above a subducting plate, often near oceanic trenches.

Rift valley

A deep valley formed by the separation of tectonic plates, often found along mid-ocean ridges

Origins of water (comets, off-gassing)

Earth's water may have originated from icy comets and from water vapor released by volcanic off-gassing.

Tectonic plates

Large, rigid pieces of Earth's lithosphere that move over the asthenosphere.

Earthquake

A sudden shaking of the ground caused by the movement of tectonic plates.

Subduction

The process by which one tectonic plate is forced beneath another into the mantle.

Plate boundaries (transform, divergent, convergent)

Locations where tectonic plates meet and interact: transform (slide past), divergent (move apart), and convergent (move together).

Mountain building

The geological process of forming mountains through tectonic forces like collision and uplift.

Continental drift as a result of convection

The movement of continents over time, driven by convection currents in the mantle.

Emperor Seamounts / Hawaiian Islands

A chain of volcanic islands and seamounts formed as the Pacific Plate moved over a hotspot.

Magnetic anomalies

Irregularities in Earth's magnetic field on the ocean floor that show symmetrical patterns of seafloor spreading.

Temperature data

Measurements of heat flow that support the movement and interaction of tectonic plates.

Earthquake epicenter profile

A cross-section showing the depth and distribution of earthquake foci along a plate boundary.

Magnetometer

An instrument that measures magnetic fields, often used to detect seafloor magnetic stripes.

Seismograph

A device that records the vibrations of the Earth caused by seismic waves.

Bathythermograph

An instrument used to record temperature changes with ocean depth, aiding in the study of ocean structure.

Causes of tsunamis

Tsunamis can be triggered by sudden seafloor movements, landslides, space object impacts, or ice breaking off glaciers into the ocean.

DART

Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) is a system of buoys and sensors that detect and report tsunami waves in real-time.

Subduction tsunami

A tsunami generated when an oceanic plate is forced under another plate, displacing a large volume of water.

Subsidence

The sinking or downward settling of the Earth's surface, often caused by tectonic activity, resource extraction, or natural compaction.

Tricellular model of atmospheric circulation

A global model that divides atmospheric circulation into three cells per hemisphere (Hadley, Ferrel, Polar) to explain wind patterns and heat distribution.

Thermal properties of water

Water has a high heat capacity, meaning it absorbs and releases heat slowly, which helps regulate Earth's climate.

Coriolis effect

The deflection of moving air and water due to Earth's rotation, causing curved wind and ocean current patterns.

Sea breezes, land breezes

Local winds caused by temperature differences between land and sea: sea breezes blow from ocean to land during the day, and land breezes blow from land to ocean at night.

Hurricanes

Intense tropical storms with strong winds and heavy rain, fueled by warm ocean water and organized by rotating low-pressure systems.

Water cycle model

A conceptual model showing the continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff, and transpiration.

Sublimation

The process by which a solid (like ice) changes directly into a gas without becoming a liquid.

Evaporation

The transformation of liquid water into water vapor due to heat.

Transpiration

The release of water vapor from plants into the atmosphere through their leaves.

Condensation

The process by which water vapor cools and changes into liquid droplets, forming clouds.

Deposition

The direct transformation of water vapor into solid ice without becoming liquid.

Reservoir

A natural or artificial place where water is stored, such as oceans, glaciers, lakes, or the atmosphere.

"Water as the #1 greenhouse gas"

Water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas and plays a key role in regulating Earth's temperature.

Heat capacity

The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a substance by a certain amount.

Distinction between heat, temperature

Heat is the total energy of molecular motion, while temperature is the measure of the average energy of molecular motion.

Factors influencing wind-driven waves

Wind-driven waves are influenced by wind speed, wind duration, and fetch (the distance over which the wind blows).

Anatomy of a wave

(height, wavelength, steepness, speed, period, frequency)

Height

The vertical distance from the wave's trough to its crest.

Wavelength

The horizontal distance between two consecutive wave crests.

Steepness

The ratio of wave height to wavelength, indicating the sharpness of a wave's slope.

Speed (celerity)

The rate at which a wave moves, calculated by the formula: Celerity=PeriodWavelength​.

Period

The time it takes for one complete wave cycle to pass a given point, usually measured in seconds.

Frequency

The number of wave crests passing a point in one second, the inverse of the period (Frequency=Period1​).

Swell

A series of long, smooth waves traveling across the ocean, typically generated by distant storms.

Deepwater waves

Waves that occur in water deeper than half their wavelength, where wave motion does not affect the seafloor.

Shallow water waves

Waves occurring in water shallower than half their wavelength, where the wave's base interacts with the seafloor.

Rogue waves

Extremely large, unexpected waves that can be much higher than surrounding waves, often resulting from the interaction of different wave patterns.

Internal waves

Waves that occur within the water column, typically at the boundary between layers of different densities (e.g., thermocline).

Standing waves

Waves that appear to be stationary, formed by the interference of two waves traveling in opposite directions.

Breaker

A wave that collapses or breaks when it reaches shallow water, forming foam and crashing onto the shore.

Diurnal, semi-diurnal

Diurnal refers to tides with one high and one low per day, while semi-diurnal tides have two high and two low tides per day.

Spring tide

A tide with the greatest range, occurring when the sun, Earth, and moon are aligned during full and new moons.

Neap tide

A tide with the smallest range, occurring when the sun, Earth, and moon form a right angle during the first and third quarters of the moon.

Equilibrium tidal theory

A theoretical model that describes tidal forces assuming Earth's oceans are perfectly responsive to the moon and sun's gravitational influences.

Dynamic tidal analysis

A more complex model that considers real-world factors such as coastal geography and Earth's rotation to explain tides.

Ebb, flood & slack tide

Ebb tide refers to the receding tide, flood tide is the incoming tide, and slack tide is the brief period of no tidal movement between ebb and flood.

Declination of moon

The angle between the plane of the Earth's equator and the plane of the moon's orbit, affecting the height and timing of tides.

Perigee / Apogee

Perigee is the point in the moon's orbit closest to Earth, and apogee is the farthest point.

Perihelion / Aphelion

Perihelion is the point in Earth's orbit closest to the sun, and aphelion is the farthest point.

Elliptical orbits

Orbits that are elliptical (oval-shaped), which describes the paths of both the Earth around the sun and the moon around the Earth.

Gravity

The force of attraction between objects, crucial in generating tidal forces between the Earth, moon, and sun.

Momentum (barycenter)

The center of mass of a system, where Earth and the moon both orbit around this common barycenter, affecting tidal movements.

Wind

The movement of air, which can influence surface ocean currents and waves, indirectly impacting tides.

Tidal bulge

The bulge in Earth's oceans caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and, to a lesser extent, the sun, resulting in high tides.

4 major gyres (Pacific, Atlantic Ocean)

Ekman Transport

The movement of water due to the Coriolis effect, where surface water moves at an angle to the wind direction, creating a net water movement at depth in a direction 90° to the surface wind.

Methods of measuring current

Ocean currents are measured using various tools, including drifters, ADCPs (Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers), and moored buoys.

Gulf Stream

A warm, swift ocean current in the North Atlantic Ocean that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows along the U.S. eastern coast, influencing climate and weather patterns.

Density (salinity, temperature)

Ocean water density is influenced by temperature (cold water is denser) and salinity (higher salinity increases density), which in turn affects water's movement and stratification.

Thermohaline circulation (Ocean conveyor)

A global circulation of ocean water driven by differences in temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline), which plays a key role in distributing heat around the planet

Upwelling / Downwelling

Upwelling is the movement of deep, cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface, while downwelling is the downward movement of surface water, often associated with areas of convergence.

El Niño

El Niño is a climatic phenomenon involving warming of ocean waters in the central and eastern Pacific.

Walker Circulation

A pattern of atmospheric circulation in the tropical Pacific Ocean where air rises in the western Pacific (near Indonesia) and descends in the eastern Pacific (near South America), influencing trade winds and ocean currents. It is affected by el Niño and la Niña.

La Niña

La Niña refers to the cooling of these waters, both affecting global weather patterns.

Water molecule, polarity, hydrogen bonds

Water molecules are polar, with a positive charge on hydrogen and a negative charge on oxygen, allowing them to form hydrogen bonds, which give water its unique properties.

Vertical structure of ocean

The ocean's vertical structure is divided into layers based on temperature, salinity, and density, which vary with depth: thermocline (temperature), halocline (salinity), pycnocline (density), and oxycline (oxygen concentration).

Thermocline

A layer in the ocean where temperature decreases rapidly with depth, separating the warm surface waters from the cold deeper waters.

Halocline

A layer in the ocean where salinity changes significantly with depth, typically found below the surface layer.

Pycnocline

A zone in the ocean where the water's density increases with depth, influenced by temperature and salinity gradients.

Oxycline

A layer in the ocean where oxygen concentration decreases sharply with depth.

Spectra of light

The range of light wavelengths, with shorter wavelengths (blue) penetrating the deepest in the ocean, and longer wavelengths (red) being absorbed quickly.

Specific heat capacity

The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a substance, with water having a high specific heat capacity, meaning it can absorb or release large amounts of heat with little temperature change.