Introductory
Oceanography Themes Covered in This Course
I. Plate Tectonics and
the Physiology of the Ocean Basins Theme (Covered in Exam
1)
A. History of Oceanography
1. What
were the interests of ancient civilizations in oceanography?
2. Who,
and how did the oceans get explored?
3. What
were the major questions that early explorers asked about the oceans?
4. How
did early explorers figure out where they were when out of sight of land?
Specifically, cover Polynesian
exploration, Viking exploration, and Captain Cook’s voyages.
5. How have technologic
advances contributed to oceanographic discovery?
6. What are the primary
institutions that carry out oceanographic research today?
B. Earth Formation
1. Big
Bang theory
a. Initial creation of expanding
space, energy and light-weight elements
b. Age of the Universe
2. Formation of stars and star clusters (galaxies)
3. Stellar fusion and the synthesis of middle-weight
elements
4. Supernova and the synthesis of heavy-weight
elements
5. Planetary accretion theory - Origin of Earth-Moon system
6. Uniformitarianism and the age of earth
7. Origin and age of ocean and its ocean basins
a. How are these ages
determined?
b. Original primordial sources
ocean water
i. Volcanic out-gassing
ii.
Comet impacts
8. Origin and evolution of the atmosphere
a.
Three stages
i. Primordial – H-He-rich
ii.
Early-Secondary – Oxy-free
iii. Late-present day – Oxy-rich
C. Earth’s Interior
1. Major structural layers
a.
Crust (oceanic and continental)
b. Lithosphere (crust plus
uppermost mantle = tectonic plates)
c.
Asthenosphere (partial molten – mobile)
d.
Mesosphere (lower mantle)
e.
Outer core (liquid)
f.
Inner core (solid)
2. Temperature versus depth – Geo-thermocline
3.
Radioactive decay and mantle convection
4. Earth’s
magnetic field and polarity reversals
5. Principle of isostacy
a. Isostatic equilibrium
b. Isostatic adjustment
D.
1. Names and locations of oceans, continents, and seas
2.
Major geographic features on the seafloor –
a.
Continental margin features
i. Shoreline
ii. Shelf
iii. Slope
iv. Submarine canyons
v. Rise
b.
Deep seafloor features
i. Abyssal plains and hills
ii. Fracture zones
iii. Mid ocean ridges and rises
iv. Seamounts and guyots
v. Ocean islands and
plateaus
vi. Trenches and island arcs
3.
Composition, age, topography, and structure of oceanic and continental
crust
4. Deep
sea hydrothermal vents at mid-ocean ridges
5. Origin,
nature, and distribution of marine neritic and
pelagic sediments
a. Terrigenous clastics
b. Biogenous oozes
c.
Hydrogenous
d. Cosmogenous
E. Plate Tectonics
1. Definition
of Theory of Plate Tectonics
2. Seafloor spreading process
3. Transform
fracture systems
4. Subduction
process
5. The three types of plate boundaries
6. The three types of convergent boundaries
7. Relationship between
plate boundaries and observable phenomena
a. Topography
b. Quakes
c. Volcanoes
d.
e. Seafloor age
8. List of physical evidence that support plate
tectonic theory
a. Close relationship between active volcano-tectonic
events and plate boundaries
b. Seafloor crust and
sediment age profile
c. Magnetic reversal patterns in seafloor crust
d. Ridge-ridge transform fault
movement
e. Continent position paleo-pole
reconstructions
f. Hot spot volcanic center traces
g. Wadati-Benioff earthquake
foci patterns
h. Mantle tomography
i. Satellite GPS tracking of
lateral plate movements
9. Miscellaneous facts about
plate tectonics
a. Age of oldest ocean crust, and where is it?
b. Be able to draw tectonic map (rough) of Atlantic and Pacific ocean basins, showing locations of the major divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries.
F. After this
theme, students should be able to:
1. Identify
the continents and ocean basins on a world map
2. Correctly describe the general theory of plate tectonics
3. Draw
an approximate tectonic plate map on a physiographic map of the world
4. Use
topography, quakes, volcanoes, and age data to identify a plate boundary type.
5. Be
able to argue for the theory of plate tectonics, citing lines of physical
evidence.
II.
Atmosphere-/Ocean-Circulation Theme (Covered in Exam 2)
A. Properties of Water
1. How
water is special (molecular geometry)
2. Freezing
and boiling points
3. Heat
capacity
4. Latent heat and transfer of heat through evaporation and condensation
B. Seawater and Its Composition
1. Definition of Salinity
2. Constituents, major and minor, dissolved gases,
nutrients
a. Heat
b. Salts (major constituents)
c. Dissolved gases
d. Nutrients
e. Trace elements
3. Balance of constituents:
a. Possible sources and sinks
i. Sun
ii. Atmosphere
iii. Rivers
iv. Mid-ocean ridge
b. Residence time
c. Rivers versus mid-ocean ridge inputs
4. Transport of constituents
a. Wind-driven transport
b. Density transport (vertical)
i. Relationship between
density, temperature, and salinity
c. Atmospheric transport
i. Evaporation
ii. Rainfall
iii. Airborne, aerosols
C. Ocean Structure
1.
Vertical structure
a.
Thermocline
b.
Halocline
c.
Pycnocline
d.
Latitudinal variations
2.
Classification and distribution of ocean water masses
a.
Surface water masses
b.
Intermediate water masses
c.
Deep water masses
d.
Bottom water masses
D. Atmosphere and Atmospheric Circulation
1. Buoyancy and air density
a. Function of temp, humidity,
2. Vertical structure. Troposphere, tropopause, etc.
Vertical stratification.
3. Average earth surface temperature and atmospheric heating
4. Overall circulation pattern, no Coriolis effect
5. Coriolis effect and circulation (show Coriolis animations)
6. Quick scat wind animations
7. Global circulation pattern (data), circulation cells, height of cells.
8. Wind zones: “roaring 40’s”, trades, doldrums, horse latitudes.
9. Rainfall and climate zones
10. Heat
transport by the atmosphere
11. Effect
of continents
12. Monsoons
E. Data Relevant to Atmospheric circulation
1. Global average temperatures, hotter at equator
2. Global winds and wind zones
3. Rainfall
F. Ocean Surface Circulation
1. Wind
as the current-forcing agent
a. Westerly wind belts
b. Trade wind belts
b. Coastal wind patterns
2. Earth’s rotation, gravity, and landmasses as
current-modifying agents
a.
Coriolis-induced Ekman spiral and Ekman Transport
b.
Mid-ocean basin pressure “hill” of seawater
c. Westward intensification
3. Major
patterns of surface circulation –
a. Geostrophic gyres – racetrack-like, ocean basin circulation loops
b. Western and Eastern boundary currents
i.Gulf stream and
c. Equatorial and High latitude transverse currents
d. Antarctic Circumpolar current (Westwind drift current)
e. Countercurrents and Undercurrents
f. Upwelling and Downwelling
3. El
Nino, caused by air-sea interaction
G.
1. Data
relevant to deep ocean circulation (we know what the constituents are, so let’s
look at some cross-sections and see if we can interpret them).
a. Temperature
b. Salinity
c. Nutrients
d. Dissolved gases
2. Temperature/Salinity/Density
(review)
3. Shallow
mixing due to wind and Ekman spiral.
4. Deep
circulation patterns
a. Major
deep ocean water masses: AABW, NADW, etc.
b. Speed
of deep currents
c. Age
of water, residence time
5. Thermal
conveyor belt
III. Waves and Beaches Theme
(Covered in Exam 3)
A. Classification and Propagation of Ocean Waves
1. Types of ocean waves
2. Wave velocity vs wavelength
2. Deep
and shallow water wave velocities
3. Breaking
waves
4. Refraction,
reflection, diffraction
B. Origin and Nature of Wind Waves
1. Storms
and their effect of wave size and distribution
2. The
“Force” scale
3. Analyze current wave data
from the web
C. Origin and Nature of Tsunami
1. Triggering mechanisms and wave behavior
2. Tsunami as a coastal hazard
3. Early detection and warning
D. Origin and Nature of Tides
1. Earth, Moon and Sun and tidal patterns
2. Effects of tides on coastal regions
3. Tides and marine life
E. Classification, Anatomy, and Processes of
Shorelines
1. Erosional vs depositional processes and
features
2. Primary vs
secondary types
3. Beaches, terraces, bluffs, and estuaries
F. Effect of Waves on Shorelines
1. Winter and summer beaches (high energy and low energy)
2. Longshore and rip currents and the transport of sand
3. Harbors, seawalls, and other beach structures
4. Coastal
erosion and mitigation
5. Waves and surfing
IV. Marine Biology Theme
(Covered in Final Exam)
A. Classification and Evolution
1. Classification
of marine life
a. Plants:
phytoplankton
b. Animal
c. Relative
biological mass of marine life types
2. Evolution Theory of marine life
a. Examination
of the theory
b. Marine
fossil record
c. Explanation, predictions and
significance
B.
Physical Factors and Habitats
1. Physical
(limiting) factors that support marine life
a. Water
i. temperature
ii. pressure
iii. salinity
b. Light
i. Penetration into seawater –
spectrum selective
ii.
Latitude and Seasonal changes
iii. Seawater clarity
c. Nutrients
i. Oxygen
ii. CO2
iii. Nitrate
iv. Phosphate
v. Cycling of nutrients, food
web
d. Sources and sinks of nutrients
i. Atmosphere
iii. Upwelling and Mixing
iv. Sinking and Sequestering
2. Marine Habitats –
various classifications
a. Based on amount of sunlight received
i. Euphotic
ii. Disphotic
iii. Aphotic
b. Based on distance from land
i. Littoral
ii. Neritic
iii. Oceanic
c. Based on whether in water column or on/in bottom
i.
Pelagic – in water column
ii Benthic – on or
in the sea bottom
d. Bottom based on substrate or depth
B. Primary Productivity
1. What
is “primary productivity?”
2. Who are
the primary producers?
3. Controlling factors
and Distribution of primary production
4. The Ocean’s Biological Pump and it’s
crucial role in sustaining life on this planet
C. Focus on the Various Phyla of Marine Animals
1. Invertebrates
2. Fishes
3. Reptiles
4. Birds
5. Mammals
D. Communities of Marine Life
1. Open ocean - Pelagic
2. The benthos - Benthic
3 Shorelines - Littoral
V. Environmental
Concerns Theme (Covered in Final Exam)
A. Ocean Fishing Issues
1. What
are the major “fisheries?”
2. Overfishing
a. What
is “sustainable” fishing and what are the parameters that must be considered
when planning a sustainable fishery?
i. Reproduction rate
ii. Harvest rate
iii. Habitat size
iv. Availability of food source
b. What are some examples of species that have been
overfished and what policies have been implemented to help the fisheries
recover?
i.
ii. Sardine
fishery in
iii. Whale
harvests
iv. Tuna
and swordfish
v. Orange
roughy
c. What are some of the fishing
techniques that contribute to loss of species?
i. Drift nets
ii. By-catch
issues
iii. Environmental
damage to habitat (trawling)
d. What
about fish farming? What are the positive and negative effects of fish farming?
3. Fishing Policies
a. Who are the “stakeholders?”
b. What is “tragedy of the commons?”
c. Catch limits
d. Marine reserves and “no take zones”
e.
f. FishBanks game
B. Non-biological Marine Resources
1. Hydrocarbon
deposits
2. Mineral
bottom deposits
3. Dissolved mineral ions
4.
Fresh water from desalinization
5.
Transportation
6.
Recreation
C. Ocean Pollution
1. What is “pollution”?
2. Types of marine pollution
3. Pollution sources
4. Severity
of the problem
5. Possible solutions
D. Climate
1. Equilibrium
temperature of earth, a balance between incoming and outgoing solar energy
2. Greenhouse
effect
3. Climate
history from ice cores, tree rings, etc.
4. The
climate “system”
5. Climate
feedbacks
a. Positive and negative feedback
6. Heat
transfer from equator to poles: ocean currents vs
atmospheric circulation
7. Carbon
cycle and CO2
8. Global warming and melting glaciers and polar ice
E.
Environmental Issues and The
1. Understand how the ocean, atmosphere,
and human activities might influence environmental
systems that
affect the welfare of a specific country.
2. Realize the importance and responsibility of
each individual in making educated choices and
decisions
concerning the health of the ocean and the coastal environment.
3. How to take positive personal action in doing
the right things towards maintaining and improving the
health of the
ocean and the coastal environment.