Name______Test Date______Period______

Oceans Study Guide

1. In the spaces below, label a diagram of the ocean floor. Be sure to know the definitions too!

  1. Continental shelf
  2. Seamount
  3. Trench
  4. Mid-ocean ridge
  5. Abyssal plain
  6. Volcanic island
  7. Continental rise
  8. Continental slope
  1. How does a mid-ocean ridge form? What kind of plates are involved?
  1. What is salinity?
  1. How did the oceans become salty?
  1. The oceans are about _____% salt right now. Why do we expect the amount of sodium chloride in the oceans to increase?
  2. List several environmental factors that can increase/decrease salinity.
  1. What is the biggest challenge we have to overcome when exploring the deepest parts of the ocean?
  1. Use the words surface zone, thermocline, and deep zone to describe how the following change as you explore deeper below sea level. Underline the words in your answers.
  2. Amount of light:
  1. Temperature:
  1. Pressure:
  1. Compare/contrast the amount (%) of Earth’s total water that can be found in oceans with how much of Earth’s surface is covered by water.
  1. Because oceans formed through a very slow process of condensation, precipitation, and run-off over millions of years, what can you infer about the size of our oceans when Earth was very young?
  1. Name the 5 oceans and circle the largest one.
  1. What is the Coriolis Effect? (Need a reminder? There are 2 video clips on Ms. Tuttle’s blog)
  1. Describe how currents (including hurricanes) rotate differently in the N and S hemispheres due to the Coriolis Effect.
  1. How are surface currents and deep currents formed differently?
  1. How are differences in temperature and salinity related to the movement of deep currents?
  1. What is upwelling and how does it benefit fish near the surface?
  1. How do warm and cold surface currents impact the climate of land near them?
  1. Give an example of a current that makes the land it flows past warmer than it would be without it?
  1. What’s the difference between a wave and a current?
  1. Remember tsunamis from our plate tectonics unit? What effect do they have on water molecules?
  1. Describe how scientists use SONAR to map the ocean floor.
  1. How does the amount of direct sunlight impact the equator and poles in different ways? Draw a picture.
  1. Remember the floating/sinking egg demonstration? Explain why they acted differently in the containers.
  1. What types of environment does the sinking egg represent? (Think about what causes that level of salinity)
  1. When you get your oceans quiz back, be sure to study it 