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Winter Term 2023 > Erth 307 > Flashcards

Erth 307 Flashcards

(61 cards)

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1
Q

Sub-disciplines of oceanography

A

Geological - Earth’s surface/seafloor
Biological - phytoplankton, marine organisms, productivity, food webs
Chemical - seawater properties, water column properties, coriolis effect, water transportation
Physical - tides, coastal processes, waves, ocean circulation

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2
Q

Ocean geography

A

the average depth of the ocean is way deeper than the average height of land
Ocean depth is measured directly or indirectly
Directly - weight on a measured length of line
Indirectly - pressure, sound waves, satellites

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3
Q

Aspect ratio

A

the average depth of the ocean is way deeper than the average height of land
Ocean depth is measured directly or indirectly
Directly - weight on a measured length of line
Indirectly - pressure, sound waves, satellites

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4
Q

Latitude

A

east-west; measures north-south

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5
Q

Longitude

A

north-south; measures east-west
changes in distance between lines

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6
Q

Hypsography

A

science of determination and mapping of the relative elevation of land and sea

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7
Q

Chemical composition of Earth

A

Crust
Mantle
Core

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8
Q

Physical properties of Earth

A

Lithosphere
Asthenosphere
Mesosphere
Outer Core
Inner Core

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9
Q

Continental Drift

A

Alfred Wegener; advanced to idea of mobile continents

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10
Q

Evidence of continental drift

A

Fit of continents together
Mountain ranges across continents
Glaciers and climate changes
Fossils

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11
Q

Drawbacks of continental drift

A

theory failed to explain why continents move
Wegener thought gravity pulled the continents

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12
Q

Sea-floor spreading

A

new seafloor (oceanic crust) is formed at the oceanic ridges, pulling apart

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13
Q

Paleomagnetism

A

Earth has a magnetic field that switches polarity, this is imprinted on new oceanic crust as it is formed at ridges

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14
Q

Theory of plate tectonics

A

Earth is made of lithospheric plates, new ocean crust formed at spreading centers, destroyed in subduction zones
Slab pulling and slab suction are main driving forces

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15
Q

New evidence for plate tectonics

A

Age of the seafloor - new age dating methods allowed for determination of age of seafloor, supporting seafloor spreading theory
Earthquakes support theory of plate tectonics

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16
Q

Convergent boundaries

A

come together
3 types depending on crust

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17
Q

Convergent 1

A

Oceanic-continental
continental arc formed
Oceanic crust is ALWAYS subducted because it’s DENSER than continental crust

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18
Q

Convergent 2

A

Oceanic-oceanic
Island Arc formed

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19
Q

Convergent 3

A

Continental-continental
Mountains formed

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20
Q

Divergent boundaries

A

spread apart
example - Iceland, Red Sea, and Mid-Atlantic Ridge

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21
Q

Transform boundaries

A

move parallel to one another

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22
Q

Isostasy

A

Isostatic equilibrium
Movement of crust in the vertical to steady state positions
Results from lithosphere riding on top of asthenosphere
The key is the different densities of crust types

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23
Q

Mid-ocean ridge variability

A

MOR is moving slower than EPR

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24
Q

Bathymetry

A

the measurement of ocean depths and the charting of the shape, or topography, of water beneath a ship
Oldest method
direct and intuitive
Measured with a line
1 fathom = 6 feet

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25
Measuring depth
Soundings Echo sounders Multibeam sonar Satellites
26
Active margins
occur at convergent boundaries
27
Passive margins
do NOT occur at plate boundaries
28
Marine sediments are made up of
Dead organisms Wind blown dust Volcanoes Deep ocean water Atmosphere
29
Marine sediments are
particles of various sizes from a variety of sources on the sea floor or coastal zone
30
Neritic zone
coastal, continental shelf areas
31
Pelagic zone
open ocean
32
Marine sediments can be
of all different sizes and provide a very complete record of climate conditions
33
Lithogenous
Derived from land sources Typically made of quartz Can be sorted by grain size (range from fine grain to pebbles or boulders)
34
Biogenous
Derived from biology (dead organisms) Calcium carbonate and silica Microscopic
35
Hydrogenous
Precipitated out from dissolved substances in seawater (like hydrothermal vents)
36
Cosmogenous
Space-borne dust (like meteors)
37
CCD (Calcium Carbonate [Calcite] Compensation Depth)
the depth at which the rate of carbonate accumulation equals the rate of carbonate dissolution Destruction
38
Settling velocity
Depends on the weight and size of sediment particle Under the condition of equilibrium between the gravitational and drag forces on the settling particle
39
Turbidity currents
Conduits for lithogenous sediment to deep ocean (called density driven currents)
40
Why is water unusual?
High specific heat Hydrogen bonds High boiling and melting points Solid phase expands, less dense than liquid phase Universal solvent Polarity Essential to life
41
Specific heat capacity
Very high specific heat (amount of heat needed to raise 1 gram of a substance 1 degree C)
42
Hydrogen bonds
Weak bond; direct result of polarity Forms between adjacent water molecules (leads to water being 'sticky')
43
Density
mass/volume Related to molecule structure and why its density changes with temp Fresh water's temperature of max density is 4 degrees C Function of Salinity, Temperature, and Pressure
44
Salinity
Total amount of solid material dissolved in water
45
Measuring salinity
Evaporate and weigh salt left over Chlorinity; measure amount of Cl, can get total salinity of water (PRINCIPLE OF CONSTANT PROPORTIONS) Conductivity; measure electrical conductivity of seawater, directly proportional to dissolved ions in sample
46
Processes affecting salinity
Runoff (rivers) Precipitation Evaporation Sea ice melt Sea ice formation Icebergs melt
47
Conservative forces
Long residence times Little or no change over time occur in constant proportions in seawater (includes major consitituents [Cl, Na, Ca, K])
48
Non-conservative forces
Significant change over time Short residence times Variability over oceans; biologically active/reactive (includes O2, CO2, nutrients [nitrate])
49
Residence time =
volume (or mass of stuff)/flux of stuff
50
Surface T and S patterns
Vary in time and space Vertical variations exist in both Horizontal variations in T and S change in time, but major patterns exist
51
Latitudinal trends in T and S
High latitudes: lowest S; precipitation + runoff + ice melt; cooler temps = less evaporation Mid-latitudes: high S; little precipitation and runoff; high evaporation rates; warmer air descends near tropics of Capricorn/Cancer Equator: relatively low S; warm air = high evaporation rates; offset by high precipitation and runoff
52
Halocline
Rapid change in salinity with depth Separates layers in ocean Can go either way
53
Thermocline
Rapid change in temperature with depth Separates layers in ocean Can go either way or be absent altogether
54
Seasonal thermocline
Develops over seasonal cycle Depth and strength of thermocline changes in time
55
Temperature has a large effect on density
Inversely related Lighter water resides over top denser water
56
Pycnocline
Rapid change in density with depth Separates layers in ocean
57
Pressure
Temperature ↑ = density ↓ (thermal expansion) Salinity ↑ = density ↑ (more stuff in some volume of water) Pressure ↑ = density ↑ (more stuff in some volume of water)
58
Dissolved gases
Amounts in seawater vs atmosphere depends on Solubility Percent of atmosphere
59
Amount of O2
Surface: high Intermediate depths: decreases rapidly Greater depths: increases
60
Amount of CO2
Surface: equilibrium with atmosphere Intermediate depths: increases Greater depths: decreases
61
Changing pH in oceans
Ocean buffering - carbonate is ocean's buffer As CO2 goes up, pH goes down (slowly becoming more acidic) pH changes are not the same everywhere

Winter Term 2023 (4 decks)

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