1. Oceans
The Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic,
and the Southern.

2. Ocean Water and Life
Waves- movement in which water alternately rises and falls
Wave characteristics
o Crest- top
o Trough- bottom
o Wavelength- distance from crest to crest
o Wave Height- distance from trough to crest
Waves move forward and then the water in them circles
back, so in this way it mostly stays in one spot
Waves Breaking
o Whitecaps near shore are pushed up as water gets too
shallow
o More energy put into height not width
o Friction with bottom causes motion to change
o Out in ocean, not many breakers because of the depth

3. Winds are caused by wind
 Greater speed = bigger waves
 Greater time wind blows = bigger waves
 Greater distance over which wind acts = bigger waves
Waves continue moving after wind has stopped
Once they are going they continue on to shore
Tsunami- wave caused by earthquakes that hit ground
under the ocean
Ocean tides- long, slow waves that result in a rise or fall of
the ocean level
Tides are caused by gravitational attraction among the sun,
moon, and earth
High tide occurs on opposite sides of planet at the same
time- twice a day
Sun either strengthens or weakens the moons pull
All 3 line up- spring tides
Neap tide- high/low tides are closer

4. Between high/low tide is known as the intertidal zone
Intertidal zone holds variety of plant/animal life with
adaptation for environment
Thriving area even though it is exposed and pounded with
waves
¾ of the earth is covered by ocean water (salt water)
Science believed these formed years ago when water
vapor escaped to the atmosphere in volcanic eruptions,
condensed, and then precipitated
The saltiness of ocean water comes from water run off
over minerals over a long period of time
Salinity- measure of the amount of salts dissolved in
ocean water
1000 grams of water has 35 grams of salt
Oceans stay about the same saltiness on average
Oceans also contain dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide.
These two things allow for a variety of sea life
Breathing/ photosynthesis take place underwater

5. Ocean Currents
Ocean currents- movement of water in certain direction, not
shifting around
Surface currents- movement of water that affects only the upper
100 m of seawater
• Caused by wind
• Affect weather by bringing warm or cold water
• Ship captains must know the currents

6. Currents Affect on Marine Life
Surface currents move around all the life that is called
plankton- algae, small animals etc.
Most larger sea animals depend on this plankton in some form
or another
There for the animals that can move (nekton) live near where
plankton is passing by or by the surface current areas
Density Currents
• Affect deeper water than surface currents, usually below
400 ft
• Two factors cause these currents
• Differences in salt concentration
• Differences in temperature

7. In both situations, the higher or lower density of the seawater drives
these currents
High dense sinks, low dense rises and thus a current is formed
Salinity Currents
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•
Caused by freezing of salt water near the poles
The water becomes a higher salinity near poles, it sinks and
pushes other water out of its way
Temperature Currents
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•
•
Cold water sinks and warm water rises. Currents form where
this occurs
UPWELLING- deep cool water rises to replace warm water
that is being driven off by winds
Any upwelling will cause more movement down below

8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u64ppKBY3cM