Exam 1

Question 1

What is Science?

Answer 1

The study of the natural world through observations and evidence. The overall goal is to discover patterns in the natural world and use this knowledge to make accurate predictions

Question 2

What is the Scientific Method?

Answer 2

A process of experimentation used to explore observations and create scientific theories.

Question 3

What is Observation (from scientific method)

Answer 3

The collection of scientific facts through our senses. If an observation is repeatedly confirmed, it is considered a scientific fact.

Question 4

What is a Hypothesis? ( from scientific method)

Answer 4

A testable statement about our natural world that can be used to build complex interferences and explanations. Example: if_____ then,________ statements. Solar nebula disk model

Question 5

What is Theory? (from scientific method)

Answer 5

a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of our natural world. Example: big bang theory, the theory of evolution

Question 6

What are the fields in Oceanography? How are they used?

Answer 6

Some of the fields in Oceanography are geology (seafloor tectonics), geography (weather) ,biology (marine life),chemistry (density),physics (waves), astronomy (origin of water.

Question 7

What are the earths 4 spheres?

Answer 7

Biosphere: all life on earth
Hydrosphere: all water on earth
Lithosphere: outer rocky layer of earth (100 km)
Atmosphere: envelope of air surrounding a planet

Question 8

What is Cross-sectional view? Block diagram? Mercator map? Map Projection?

Answer 8

Cross sectional: view from side as if plane were cut in half (vertically) showing internal layers.
Block Diagram: 3 dimensional view
Mercator Map: map we know today distorts the size of objects from equator to poles.
Map projection: 2D view

Question 9

What are the 5 main oceans from this course? List in order from largest to smallest

Answer 9

Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Antarctic, Artic

Question 10

What is the largest and deepest ocean? Why?

Answer 10

The Pacific is the largest ocean because it covers about 1/3 of earths surface and accounts for about 1/2 of the oceans surface. It is the deepest as well because it had the most trenches including the deepest trench in the world: the Mariana trench.

Question 11

What is the smallest and shallowest ocean? Why?

Answer 11

The smallest ocean is the Arctic because it is mainly surrounded by land. It is also the shallowest because it has the most continental shelves.

Question 12

Where does Earths main water come from?

Answer 12

Oceans, they make up 97 Percent of all water on earth.Remaining 2% is stuck as ice (polar/mountain regions). About 1% is rivers,lakes etc.

Question 13

What is the average depth for oceans?

Answer 13

3800 meters or 12500 feet

Question 14

How old are the oceans?

Answer 14

4 billion years old

Question 15

How old is the ocean floor?

Answer 15

200 million years old.

Question 16

What is the average temperature for oceans?

Answer 16

4 degrees celsius, 38 degrees Fahrenheit

Question 17

What are the most abundant elements? (in order)

Answer 17

H, O, Cl, Na

Question 18

The sun reaches about 20% of oceans

Answer 18

False, sunlight can only reach about 2% of oceans

Question 19

What is the deepest point?

Answer 19

11,000 km or . Mariana Trench

Question 20

What is energy? What are the two types covered?

Answer 20

Energy is the capacity to do work. The two types are kinetic energy (movement) and heat energy (temperature).

Question 21

How are the two main types of energy connected? How do they relate to class?

Answer 21

They are connected because kinetic energy is the energy of movement and movement creates heat. Kinetic energy is involved with tectonics and heat energy is involved with our earths internal core.

Question 22

What are the sources of heat energy for the earth? (solar and geothermal)

Answer 22

Solar: external…for example- the sun
Geothermal: internal, wanting to come out…for example: heat inside of the earth

Question 23

What is convection?

Answer 23

Sinking of cold air because hot air is less dense therefore it rises.

Question 24

How is convection related to tectonics?

Answer 24

Plates move as a result of convection taking place inside the earths mantle. It is the driving mechanism of the seafloor.

Question 25

What is thermal expansion and contraction of the ocean? Where does it occur?

Answer 25

Thermal expansion: when oceans expands, water is warmer. (0-30 degrees, subtropical/tropical zones) Thermal contraction is when water is colder, density is higher, energy is lower and it occurs at the polar/sub-polar regions.

Question 26

What is density? (hint.. rock and water, granite and basalt)

Answer 26

density formula is mass/volume but density is basically "how much matter can fit into this space" In oceans, oceanic crust (basalt) subducts underneath the continental crust (granite) because it is more dense.

Question 27

What is density's connection to plate tectonics?

Answer 27

Denser materials are found in the core such as iron and nickel which are heavy metals. Lighter material float to surface such as silicate rocks.

Question 28

What is a supernova?

Answer 28

a great explosion of a star

Question 29

What is the Solar Nebula Disk Model?

Answer 29

a model explaining the formation of our solar system

Question 30

What is a nebula?

Answer 30

A cloud of gas and dust

Question 31

What is density differentiation? How did it appear on earth early on?

Answer 31

It is the idea that denser materials sink to core and lighter materials are on the surface.

Question 32

How did our atmosphere form? What are the most abundant gasses?

Answer 32

Through volcanic outgassing, a lot of gasses from volcanoes was deposited into the earths atmosphere. Most to Least H20 CO2 N2 SO2 Cl2 CH4 NH3 Water, Carbon dioxide, nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, chlorine, methane and ammonia

Question 33

How did our oceans form?

Answer 33

volcanic outgassing released water vapor that caused earth to rain for thousands of years (50% of water came from here) The other 50 percent of water came from icy comets.

Question 34

How old is "life"? (living organisms)

Answer 34

4 billion years old

Question 35

How old is "plant life" (photosynthetic algae) What did they do for the earth?

Answer 35

2.5 billion years old, photosynthetic algae and plants added O2 (oxygen) to our atmosphere.

Question 36

When did animals evolve?

Answer 36

600 million years ago- there was a rich diversity.

Question 37

What was the role of asteroids and comets in the mass extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago?

Answer 37

Asteroid hit earth, killed the dinosaurs. Evidence for this is in the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico), there is a crater 10-15 km wide.

Question 38

What are earths layers?

Answer 38

Lithosphere (100km thick)- rigid plates, uppermost mantle -----------------------CRUST (lithosphere consists of crust and uppermost mantle) ------------------------ Asthenosphere (600km thick) weak layer (upper mantle) Mesosphere solid rock -----------------------MANTLE----------------------------- Outer core (molten) Inner core (solid) -------------------------CORE----------------------

Question 39

How do earths layers work?

Answer 39

Lithospheric plates are mobile, the rigid plates move horizontally making the continents mobile.