Eart 1 - Oceanography

Study Guide for material since Exam 2.

Seasons and Climate:

How does the earth's orbit create seasons? When do the longest and shortest days occur in the northern hemisphere?

What happens to solar energy as it enters the earth's atmosphere and strikes the surface? How much of that energy is converted to heat?

How do evaporation and condensation reduce the daily temperature range. What is the difference between sensible and latent heat?

Why don't the tropics overheat? How is excess heat moved from low to high latitudes?

tilt	angle of incident rays	solar energy
albedo	infra-red	greenhouse gas
net radiation	heat transport	dew point
lapse rate	orographic precip.	humidity

Atmospheric Circulation:

Why does air move from one spot to another? Why is air pressure higher in some places than in others?

What direction does the earth rotate? Why do winds tend to turn to the right in the northern hemisphere and left in the southern?

air pressure	Hadley cell	Ferrel cell
ITCZ	trades	Westerlies
doldrums	sub-tropical highs	polar front
coriolis force	inversions

Ocean Circulation:

What are the primary forces driving ocean circulation? What are the secondary forces?

How do winds create upwelling? Where?

wind stress	Ekman spiral	gyre circulation
geostrophic flow	western boundary currents	eastern boundary currents
equatorial currents	Gulf Stream	cold/warm core rings
divergence	sverdrup	west wind drift

Polar Oceans and Ice:

What is the primary difference between icebergs and sea ice?

How does the formation of sea ice influence deep water circulation?

polar ice caps	icebergs	sea ice
needles, slush	tabular	polynyas
Antarctic	Arctic	thermohaline

Ocean Related Climate Phenomena/Global Change:

What is an El Niño? How does it affect climate in the eastern Pacific?

How and where do hurricanes form? What is the main driving force behind a hurricane?

Waves:

What is a wave? What forces are responsible for the formation of waves? How does a deep water wave differ from a shallow water wave?

What is the relationship between wave length, period, and velocity. What happens to a wave as it approaches the beach. What factors influence the size of waves?

orbital waves	wave length & height	breakers
frequency & period	disturbing forces	dispersion
wind generated waves	fetch	reflection and refraction
wave trains	swell

Long Waves & Tides:

What are the primary differences between long and short waves (wind generated).

How are tsunamis generated? How are tides generated? Which is more important in generating tides, the moon or sun? Why?

Why does the timing and range of tides vary from place to place (i.e., what other factors influence the timing and magnitude of tides).

storm surge	tsunami	tide generating forces
equilibrium tides	spring tide	neap tide
diurnal and mixed tides	amphidromic motion

Beaches and Coastlines:

Why does development of coastal zones continue? What is the difference between an active and passive coast. Why does erosion occur on some coastlines and deposition on others?

What processes are responsible for the transport of sand along coastlines. Where do the sediments (sand) on beaches come from? What factors influence the rate at which a cliff will erode.

How do humans interfere with the natural evolution of coastlines.

active/passive margins	erosional coast	depositional coast
wave cut bench	sea cave/stack	beach berm/s
sand bar	long shore current	rip current
groin/breakwater	barrier beach (island)	dunes
seawalls	rip rap	beach nourishment

Coastal Waters, Marine Pollution and Resources:

What are some of the attributes of coastal bodies of water such as lagoons and estuaries that separate them from open ocean waters? Why are wet lands important to marine ecosystems.

What factors determine whether a subtance is classified as a pollutant. What effects do pollutants have on the ecosystem? What is biological amplification?

What resources are provided by the oceans? Are these resources unlimited?

salt marsh	wet land	estuary
red tides	sewage	heavy metals
synthetic organic compounds	eutrophication	biological amplification
solid wastes	water treatment	mariculture
wave and tidal power	gas hydrates	phosphates
over fishing	fossil fuel reserves	desalinization