OCEONOGRAPHY Flashcards
(57 cards)
What is the definition of density?
Density is mass per unit of volume, usually measured in grams per cubic centimeter (gr/cm3).
How does temperature affect the density of water?
Density increases as temperature decreases until water cools to 4°C, after which it decreases until it freezes.
What is the typical density range of seawater?
The density of seawater averages between 1,022 and 1,030 g/cm3.
What is salinity?
Salinity is the total amount of solid material dissolved in water, expressed as a ratio of the mass of dissolved substances to the mass of the water sample.
What is the average salinity of seawater?
The average salinity of seawater is about 3.5%, making it approximately 220 times saltier than fresh water.
What is brackish water?
Brackish water is produced in areas where fresh water and seawater mix, typically having lower salinity.
What is hypersaline water?
Hypersaline water is found in areas with high evaporation rates and limited open-sea circulation, resulting in salinities greater than 40‰.
What is the salinity of the Dead Sea?
The salinity of the Dead Sea is approximately 330‰.
How does salinity vary with latitude at the ocean surface?
Salinity is lowest at high latitudes, highest at the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and dips near the Equator.
What is a halocline?
A halocline is a layer of rapidly changing salinity with depth in the ocean.
What causes waves in the ocean?
Waves are caused by disturbing forces, primarily the wind blowing across the surface of the ocean.
What are internal waves?
Internal waves are created along the interface between water of different densities.
What is the primary restoring force for capillary waves?
Capillarity, which is a property resulting from the surface tension of water.
What happens when wave steepness exceeds 1:7?
The wave breaks because it is too steep to support itself.
What is the relationship between wave period and frequency?
Frequency is the inverse of the wave period; frequency = 1/period.
What factors determine the amount of energy in ocean waves?
- Wind speed
- Duration (length of time wind blows in one direction)
- Fetch (distance over which wind blows in one direction)
What are swells?
Swells are uniform, symmetrical waves that have traveled out of their area of origin and move with little energy loss.
Fill in the blank: The density of pure water is _____ at 4°C.
1 g/cm3
True or False: Ice is denser than liquid water.
False
What is the Beaufort Scale used for?
The Beaufort Scale classifies sea state based on wind speed and wave conditions.
What happens to wave height as waves gain energy in a sea area?
Wave height increases, and steepness increases until it reaches a critical value.
What are swells?
Uniform, symmetrical waves that have traveled out of their origin area
How do swells move across the ocean?
With little loss of energy over large stretches of the ocean surface
What is wave dispersion?
The sorting of waves by their wavelength
