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7: The Ocean

Last updated

Apr 1, 2025
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- 6.6: Wetlands
- 7.1: Introduction to the Oceans

Lumen Learning
Lumen Learning

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7.1: Introduction to the Oceans
This page explains the significance of Earth's oceans, which cover over 70% of the planet and play a crucial role in regulating temperature and supporting diverse life. The text outlines the formation of oceans and their stratified zones, including intertidal, neritic, and oceanic, along with their distinct characteristics and the organisms that inhabit them.
7.2: Composition of Ocean Water
This page discusses ocean water as the "universal solvent," highlighting its composition, primarily salts at 3.5% mass. Salinity varies, being lower in river mouths and higher in areas like the Dead Sea (30%). The presence of dissolved substances increases seawater density, impacting water movement and deep currents, while temperature affects density, with warm water being less dense than cold.
7.3: The Seafloor
This page discusses the largely unexplored ocean floor, known as the final frontier, highlighting obstacles like darkness, cold, and pressure. It notes technological advancements in sonar and ROVs that enhance exploration. The seafloor has various landscapes formed by tectonic activity, such as continental shelves and mid-ocean ridges. Notable scientific missions and submersibles, like Alvin and the Trieste, have significantly advanced our understanding of this hidden world.
7.4: Ocean Currents
This page explains ocean water movement driven by wind, the Earth's rotation, and gravitational forces, highlighting the roles of surface and deep currents in climate and marine ecosystems. It discusses upwelling, which brings nutrient-rich water to the surface, and covers the influence of Greenland's ice on the Gulf Stream. Key vocabulary related to ocean dynamics, such as amplitude, crest, and tsunami, is defined to enhance understanding of these processes.
7.5: Oceans and Coastal Environments
This page highlights the significance of oceans, which cover 70% of Earth and are essential for climate regulation, biodiversity, and the water cycle. Key points include the role of tides influenced by the Moon, the impact of surface currents on climate, and the processes of upwelling and downwelling that aid marine ecosystems. It also notes the challenges in studying the ocean floor and the technologies like ROVs that have enhanced oceanographic research.
7.6: Tides
This page explains tides as the regular rise and fall of ocean water due to the Moon's gravitational pull, with additional influence from the Sun. High tides occur where water bulges towards the Moon, while low tides happen in between. The tidal range varies by location and is greatest during spring tides (when the Moon and Sun align) and smallest during neap tides (when they are at right angles). Tides generally occur twice daily, approximately every 12 hours and 25 minutes.
7.7: Currents
This page explains that ocean surface currents, influenced by wind, Earth's rotation, and basin shapes, are crucial for heat distribution and climate influences, with the Gulf Stream as a key example. Deep currents, driven by temperature and salinity differences, contribute to nutrient transport and marine ecosystems. Currents move in specific patterns, with important upwelling areas essential for marine life.

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