Study Guide: Scientific Method and Ocean Properties

  1. What are the steps of the scientific method? (in order)
  1. List three misconceptions of marine biologists.

3. What is the difference between marine biology and oceanography?

4. Name and define the 2 types of data that can be collected from

observations (hint: they both begin with the letter “Q”).

  1. What are two modern tools used to study marine biology and how are they used?

6. What does polarity mean and how does this relate to a water molecule?

7. Define seawater and name the 6 ions that make up seawater.

8. How do solutes (salts) enter the ocean (two sources)? (explain both)

  1. What are two ways to increase density?
  1. Keep the ______constant, and decrease the ______.
  1. Keep the ______constant, and increase the ______.
  1. water loss (______in the ______) ______salinity by removing fresh water.

water gain (______and______at equator and poles) ______salinity by adding fresh water (salts are diluted).

11. What is the formula for density? ______

  1. The units for salinity are ppt. What do those letter stand for?______
  1. Explain DISSOCIATION (how do salts dissolve in water).
  1. What is the average salinity of the ocean?______
  1. What two forces cause tides?
  1. Explain the difference between low and high tides. (talk about the pulling of the ocean water-the bulge)
  1. What is the difference between spring tides and neap tides?
  1. What is the difference between diurnal, semidiurnal, and mixed semidiurnal tides?
  1. What kind of tides does California experience? How do you know?

20. In the tide calendar above, what does the blue (wavy) line represent? (when do you experience a low tide and high tide?)

21. When is there a spring tide and neap tide? When is the best time to look for animals at the tidepools? (use calendar above)

  1. Why can local salinities be higher or lower than average?
  1. Is ice more of less dense than liquid water? Explain
  1. What is a the difference between a thermocline, halocline, and pycnocline?

25. Why does salinity matter? (explain in relation to the ocean critters)

26. What are the dissolved gases in the oceans and how do plants and animals help?

27. Why is it not enough to only study biology if you want to be a marine biologist?

28. What causes the ocean currents?

29. Why are currents important?

30. Read about surface currents and take notes (pg. 54-55) (first 2 paragraphs)

  1. What is the great ocean conveyor? (pg. 60)

Don’t forget to study your sea floor POSTER and the currents map!!!!!