Oceanography Final Exam: Waves, Tides, Marine Life, and Climate

Wind wave speed

Determined by depth and wave period.

Wave period

The distance between two waves passing through a stationary point, measured in seconds.

Wave length

The distance from one crest to another, or from one trough to another, of a wave.

Wave height

The vertical distance between the trough of a wave and the following crest.

Surface waves formation

Caused by wind, which allows them to travel thousands of miles before striking land.

Particle motion in deep water

Moves in a circular motion.

Tsunami danger

Most people are killed by the heavy debris they carry.

Maximum tsunami speed

400 mph in the open ocean.

Tsunami wavelength

Perhaps a meter or less in height and 100 meters in wavelength.

Current sea level rise cause

Primarily caused by ice cap and glacier melting.

Moon's gravitational influence

About twice that of the Sun.

Tidal currents

Affected by changes in the size of the inlet of a bay, measured in several knots.

Coastal erosion conditions

More severe during high waves and high tides.

Tidal range of the Thames River

From 5 to 8 meters.

Tidal friction effect

Mixes the ocean.

Global population

Currently around 6 billion, projected to reach 10 or 12 billion.

US population movement since WWII

From the interior to coastal areas.

Erosional coastlines

Shaped by the removal of material through wave action and currents, e.g., cliffs, rocky shores.

Depositional coastlines

Formed by the accumulation of sediments from rivers and waves, creating features like beaches and sandbars.

Emergent coastlines

Result from land rising due to glacial isostasy or tectonic uplift, exposing more land over time.

Submergent coastlines

Formed by rising sea levels or land sinking, leading to the flooding of coastal areas, such as Chesapeake Bay.

Most tectonically-active US coastline

Pacific coastline.

US coastline with most bays and geologic features

Pacific coastline.

Loss of California coastal wetlands

90% lost in the last 100 years.

Jetty effect on sand movement

North of the jetty: sand builds up; South of the jetty: sand erodes away.

Shoaling

A process that decreases water depth.

Sewage sludge disposal danger

High concentration of heavy metals.

Urbanization effect on pollution runoff

Increases the runoff of pollution into the ocean.

Major chemical elements in living organisms

Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus.

Atmospheric compounds for amino acid creation

Hydrogen, methane, ammonia.

Minimum definition of life

Must be able to replicate itself or move.

Origin of life on Earth

Began 3.5 billion years ago.

Mass extinction

The termination of a species because of environmental changes.

Anti-freeze in blood

A substance produced by fish in sub-freezing water to keep active.

33 feet

The depth in the ocean where the weight of water is equal to the total weight of the atmosphere at the surface.

Pressure change with depth

Pressure increases with depth in the ocean.

High hemoglobin

The reason some organisms have bright red tissues in low oxygen environments.

Marine Mammals

The complex organisms in the oceans that nurse their young.

Primary producers

Organisms that synthesize and produce organic matter.

Photosynthesis

The process responsible for the greatest amount of primary productivity in the oceans.

Zooplankton vs. Phytoplankton

Zooplankton are animals, while phytoplankton are plants.

Phytoplankton

The organisms at the base of an ocean food web.

Eutrophication

The process accelerated by agricultural nutrient runoff into bodies of water.

The deep sea

The largest living spaces on Earth.

Nematocyst

Stinging cells of jellyfish.

Oxygen Revolution

The event in Earth's history initiated by photosynthetic organisms.

Burgess Shales

Noted for excellent soft body fossils.

Starfish

The reason why mussels do not cover all of the intertidal area of the Washington coastline.

Marine Vertebrates

The world's largest animals at this time on Earth.

Gill slits

A feature that chordates have in common during development.

Swim bladder

An organ used for buoyancy by some fish.

Whale Sharks

The organisms that eat plankton.

Turtles

The marine reptile that returns to the beach where it hatched to lay eggs as an adult.

Calcium carbonate

The chemical that is the building block for coral.

Symbiotic

Describes corals as plants living in an animal.

Bleached corals

Corals are called this when polyps expel symbiotic algae.

Estuaries

Areas where fresh and salt water mix.

Tube worm

The most famous organism found living at hydrothermal vents.

Manganese nodules

Develop slowly in the deep sea.

Oil and gas deposits

Originates from marine sediments on the ocean floor.

By-catch

The non-commercial organisms caught in a net or dredge.

Over-harvesting

The reason for the decline in size of Atlantic swordfish over the last 100 years.

Marine sanctuaries

Set up to reduce human impacts.

Oil pollution sources

Most comes from runoff, drips from cars, and dumping.

Tanker ships

Can be equipped with double or even triple hulls to help avoid oil spills.

Anoxia

The process through which eutrophication kills desirable organisms.

Greenhouse effect

Causes warming of the surface on Earth.

Oceanic circulation disruption

Would likely cause air temperatures in Europe to drop.

Average ocean depth

2.5 miles, with the deepest parts being 11,000 meters.

Linkages between ocean and land

Characterized as tightly meshed.

Satellite-mounted instruments

Used for measurements, temperature, altimetry, and windspeed in ocean research.

NOAA

The US Federal Agency most concerned with oceanic issues.