Directed Reading Packet
Oceanography
Name:_______________________________
Teacher: _________________ Period: ____
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Chapter 2: Section 1:
Earth’s Oceans
Pages 38 to 41
1. What percentage of the Earth’s surface is covered with water? ________________
2. The global ocean is divided by the continents into _________ main oceans.
Division of the Global Ocean (Read p. 38. Then, fill in the blank with the correct term.)
3.
4.
5.
6.
______________
______________
______________
______________
The largest ocean
the ocean that is about half the volume of the Pacific Ocean
the third largest ocean
the ocean whose surface is partly covered by ice
How did the oceans form?
7. What happened to water vapor in the atmosphere when the early Earth
cooled?_____________________________________________________________
8. How did condensed water vapor form the oceans?
___________________________________________________________________
9. Place the following statements in historical order by writing the correct number in the
space provided (1,2,3 or 4)
__________ All oceans except the Pacific are expanding
__________ The South Atlantic Ocean was much smaller than it is today
__________ The Earth had one giant body of water, Panthalassa, and one giant
landmass, Pangaea.
__________ The Indian Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean began to form as Pangaea
broke apart
Characteristics of Ocean Water
10. State a true fact about salt in the ocean __________________________________
11. _________________ is the measure of the amount of dissolved salts in a given amount
of liquid.
12. Which type of waters tend to be saltier?
a. Coastal waters in cool, humid environments
b. River waters
c. Coastal waters in hot, dry climates
d. Coastal waters near river outlets
13. What happens to salt when water evaporates? _________________________________
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14. How do minerals on land make oceans? _______________________________________
15. ________________ is the warm, top layer of ocean water
16. _________________ is the second, cooler layer of ocean water
17. _________________ is the bottom, coolest layer of ocean water
18. In the _________________, temperature drops with greater depth faster than it does in
the other two zones.
19. What two things affect surface-zone temperatures in most regions?
a.
b.
The Ocean and the Water Cycle
20. What three components make up Earth’s surface?
a.
b.
c.
21. __________________ is the process by which water moves from the ocean to the
atmosphere to the land and back to the ocean.
22. __________________ are droplets of water what fall back to the Earth’s surface.
23. ___________________ is the process when water vapor cool and turns to liquid water
on dust particles.
24. ___________________ is the process when liquid water is heated by the sun and rises
as a gas into the atmosphere.
Global Thermostat
25. What is the most important function of the ocean?
______________________________________________________________________
26. Why are waters at the equator warmer than waters at higher latitudes?
27. How does the circulation of warm ocean water affect the climate of some coastal
lands?
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Chapter 2: Section 2
The Ocean Floor
Pages 46 to 51
1. What does SONAR stand for? _____________________________________________
2. What does Seasat measure? ______________________________________________
3. What does Geostat measure? _____________________________________________
4. Why do scientists use satellites to map the ocean floor instead of ship-based sonar?
5. How fast does sound travel in water? ______________________________________
6. Explain how scientists use sound to figure out the depth of the ocean?
Revealing the Ocean Floor
7. ________________________ begins at the shoreline
8. ________________________ slopes from the continental shelf to the ocean floor
9. ________________________ forms the base of the continental slope
10. ________________________ is covered by mud
11. If the ocean were a giant swimming pool, the __________________________ would be
the shallow end.
12. The two major regions of land under the water are the continental margin and the
__________________________________ basin.
13. Mountain chains formed by magma coming through the rift zones are called
___________________________________.
14. When one oceanic plate is forced underneath another plate, a(n) __________________
forms.
15. As mid-ocean ridges build up, a(n) _______________________ forms between them in
the rift zone.
16. Where do mid-ocean ridges and ocean trenches form?
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Chapter 2: Section 3
Life in the Ocean
Pages 52 to 57
1. Scientists divide _________________________ into three main groups.
Record the term that best defines each statement. Use plankton, nekton or benthos
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
______________ organisms that live on or in the ocean floor.
______________ Plant-like and animal like microscopic life
______________ Fish, dolphins and sea lions
______________ free-swimming organisms
______________ crabs, worms and clams
______________ organisms that drift freely near the ocean surface
The Benthos Environment
8. What is the benthos environment? __________________________________________
9. How is the sublittoral zone more stable than the intertidal zone? ___________________
________________________________________________________________________
10. Why are plants scarce in the bathyal zone? ___________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
11. What is the abyssal zone? _________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
12. The zone near the surface or at the middle depths is called the ____________________
For each phrase, write whether it describes the neritic zone (N) or the oceanic zone (O)
13. ________ covers the entire sea floor except for the continental shelf
14. ________ covers the continental shelf
15. ________ is warm and shallow
16. ________ is home to strange animals like the anglerfish
17. ________ has cold water under great pressure in its deeper areas
18. ________ receives an abundance of sunlight
19. Why is marine life more diverse in the neritic zone?
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Chapter 3: Section 1
Currents
Pages 80 to 85
1. Oceans contain stream-like movements of water known as
_____________________
2. Currents are influenced by weather, the Earth’s _______________ and the position
of the ___________________________.
Surface Currents
3. Horizontal movements of water that occur at or near the ocean’s surface are called
________________________________.
4. Compare the directions in which surface currents flow near the poles and near the
equator. _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
5. Why do wind and surface currents appear to move in curved paths?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
6. What is the scientific term for the apparent curved motion of moving objects
called? ______________________________________________________________
7. What happens when a surface current meets a continent? ____________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
8. Where do cold-water and warm-water currents begin? ______________________
____________________________________________________________________
Deep Currents
9. __________________________ is the process which removes water but leaves
solids behind.
10. __________________________is a measure of how hot or cold something is.
11. __________________________ is the amount of matter in a given space, or volume
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12. __________________________ is a measure of the amount of dissolved salts or
solids in a liquid.
13. __________________________is a stream-like movement of ocean water located
far below the surface.
14. Why is ocean water denser near the poles?
15. Why does ocean water that is covered by ice increase in density?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
16. Why does evaporation increase the density of ocean water?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
17. Which is colder, a deep current or a surface current? ________________________
18. Which has a greater salinity, a deep current or a surface current? ______________
Chapter 3: Section 2
Currents and Climate
Pages 86 to 89
Surface Currents and Climate
1. What land areas are warmed and cooled by surface currents? ____________________
2. Where does the Gulf Stream get its warmth? __________________________________
3. In what directions does the Gulf Stream flow? _________________________________
4. Where does the California Current get its cold water?____________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. In what direction does the California Current flow? ______________________________
6. When upwelling takes place, what happens to the cold water from the deep ocean?
________________________________________________________________________
El Niño
7. In what ocean do El Niño and La Niña form? ___________________________________
8. How does the surface temperature of the ocean change during El Niño?
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9. How does the surface temperature of the ocean change during La Niña? ___________
_______________________________________________________________________
10. List three disasters that may occur when El Nino changes the weather patterns
Chapter 3: Section 3
Waves
Pages 90 to 95
Anatomy of a Wave
1. Waves are made up of the two main parts. The ________________ is the highest
point of the wave. The _____________________ is the lowest point of the wave.
2. The distance between two adjacent wave crests or wave troughs is the
________________________.
3. The vertical distance between the crest and trough of a wave is called the
________________________________.
Wave Formation and Movement
4. What is the source of energy that creates most ocean waves? _______________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. What happens to water when a wave of energy passes through it? ___________
___________________________________________________________________
Specifics of Wave Movement
6. _____________________ is the time between the passage of two wave crests (or
troughs) at a fixed point.
7. _____________________ is determined by dividing the wavelength by the wave
period.
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Types of Waves
8. _____________ are waves that move in water deeper than one-half their
wavelength
9. _____________ are waves that reach water shallower than one half their
wavelength
10. _____________ are waves that crest and then crash into the ocean floor
11. _____________ is the area where waves first begin to tumble downward, or break.
12. _____________ is the area between the breaker zone and the shore.
13. ___________________ is a subsurface current that is near the shore and that pulls
objects out to sea.
14. ___________________ is a water current that travels near and parallel to the
shoreline.
15. ___________________ are the bubbles in the crest of the breaking wave.
16. ___________________ are the long rolling waves that move steadily and at long
distances across the ocean.
17. ___________________ is a giant ocean wave that forms after a volcanic eruption,
submarine earthquake, or landslide.
18. __________________ is a local rise in sea level near the shore, caused by strong
winds from a hurricane or other storm.
Chapter 3: Section 4
Tides
Pages 96 to 99
1. What are tides? _________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
2. What two forces influence tides?
a.
b.
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The Lure of the Moon
3. Who first discovered the relationship between the phases of the moon and the tides?
_______________________________________________________________________
4. The moon’s pull is the strongest at this location on Earth _________________________
5. The pull of the moon on the ocean causes water to bulge and create ________________
6. The two factors that determine when tides occur are the rotation of the Earth and the
________________________________
7. How long does it take for a spot on Earth that is facing the moon to rotate so that it is
facing the moon again? __________________________________________________
Tidal Variations
8. The difference in levels of ocean water at high tide and low tide is called a
______________________________________________________________________
9. Tides that occur when the sun, moon and Earth are aligned are _________________ tides.
10. Tides with the smallest daily tidal range are ______________________ tides.
Tides and Topography
11. What is a tidal bore? ____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
12. Where do tidal bores occur? ______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
13. What place on Earth has the greatest tidal range? _____________________________
______________________________________________________________________
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