Exam Review 3 Flashcards
(31 cards)
____ of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans.
70 percent
Label Earth’s four oceans on this map.
arctic at the top
Atlantic at the left
Indian at the bottom
pacific at the right
How does the Pacific Ocean compare with the
other three oceans?
the largest and the deepest
What is salinity?
amount of dissolved salt in the water
Is salinity near the equator higher or lower than in most of the ocean? Explain.
lower- more precipitation
In the Mediterranean Sea, is salinity higher or lower than in most of the ocean? Explain.
higher - higher rates of evaporation
Near the poles, is salinity higher or lower than in most of the ocean?. Explain.
lower- ice caps melting
Describe three conditions that make it difficult for organisms to live in the midnight zone in the ocean.
1) no sunlight
2) coldest layer
3) high pressure
What causes tides?
the gravitational pull of the moon, sun, and earths rotation
How many high tides and how many low tides do we experience every 24 hours?
2 high tides 2 low
What makes a spring tide different from other tides?
high tides are higher than normal, and low tides are lower than normal
What causes a spring tide?
the sun, earth, and moon are in line so they have a stronger gravitational pull
What is the Pacific gyre, and what is happening there?
trash and microplastics are building up in the Pacific Ocean, because the currents push them their
Describe why this is causing problems for all kinds of wildlife living there.
then animals eat it thinking its food, but plastic cannot decompose
When precipitation lands on Earth, it either becomes groundwater, or it becomes runoff. Name four factors that determine which it will become.
1) open spaces between soil particles
2) amount of humus in soil
3) vegetation
4) slope
What is a watershed?
all of the land areas whose water drains into a stream system
A ridge that separates watersheds is called a _____________
divide
Trace over the Continental Divide on this map.
the orange part
When precipitation falls on the eastern side of the Continental Divide, where does it end up?
gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic ocean
Where does precipitation that falls on the western side end up?
pacific ocean
In a watershed, small stream branches join together to form larger branches. What are these smaller stream branches called?
tribularies
Which major watershed is Maryland part of?
Chesapeake bay watershed
What is stream discharge?
amount of water that flows by a given area in a given amount of time
What happens when stream discharge is greater than the capacity of the stream bed?
flooding
