Miterm

1 Study Aid
OCN 104 Spring 2015

This learning resource is designed to assist you in studying for midterm 1.

Consider the lecture, HW, lab reports, and LS your primary resources (in descending
order of importance) and use this as a review of the material covered in those
activities.

Chapter 1: The Water Planet

According to scientific evidence, when and how did the Earth come to be?

How are rocks dated?

What makes one element different from another?

How have geologists categorized the eons of time on Earth?

What are one or two significant events that occurred within each eon?

What and where are the worlds oceans?

Identify latitude and longitude on a map of Earth.

What are the reservoirs of the water cycle? What are their relative capacities
for water (i.e. largest and smallest?)

What are the pathways between reservoirs in the water cycle?

What is the difference between continental drift and plate tectonics?

Describe the two different models of the Earth. List the layers and arrange in
the proper order.

Write the equation for density.

What is the best way to calculate the density of a small piece of rock? What
units would you use to describe this measurement?

What evidence is there for the theory of plate tectonics?

Chapter 2: Earth Structure and Plate Tectonics

SFSU, OCN 104

Spring 2015
Okimura

Compare continental crust to oceanic crust in terms of density.

Explain paleomagnetism.

Chapter 3: Seafloor and Sediments

What types of sedimentation are there?

Revisit the sedimentation multiple response question. The handout is posted

on iLearn.
o Some people considered sea salt and major contributor to
sedimentation because of the books discussion of hydrogeneous
sedimentation. This is incorrect because hydrogeneous sediments
come from minerals instead of salts. Salts are kept dissolved in water
by the polarity, which stays the same regardless of depth.
o Phytoplankton remains make up a great deal of biogeneous
sediments.
o Zooplankton are not a major input to sediments. If a zooplankton dies
most times the density of the dead material is not enough to bring it to
the bottom of the sea before it is decomposed.
o Fishes are not a major contributor to sediments for the same reasons
as zooplankton. In addition, since they are on a higher trophic level
there are fewer fishes in the ocean than zooplankton.
o Sand and dust is a major contributor to sediments. These materials
travel through a water column relatively undisturbed. Sedimentation
of sand and dust is called lithogenic sedimentation.

Identify and define the types of seafloor characteristics shown in figure 3.6 of
your textbook.

Chapter 4: Properties of Seawater

List and describe the types of bonds.

Explain how polarity relates to the properties of water.

Describe how sound and light travel through seawater.

Explain the difference between temperature and heat.

Define specific heat.

SFSU, OCN 104

Spring 2015
Okimura

Chapter 5: Chemistry of Seawater

List the major ions in saltwater

Describe the processes that may change the salinity of seawater.

How do gasses play a role in the chemistry of seawater?

What effect does temperature have on dissolution of gasses in seawater?

Please know that the section of the book called The Carbon Dioxide Cycle is
wrong in so many ways and never use it on your work in this class.

What is the biological pump and how does it relate to the movement of
carbon in the marine environment?

What was the pre-industrial pH of seawater?

Explain a log scale (see link in Supplementary materials on iLearn).

Chapter 12: Food Webs

The lecture given by Miss Meyers on Wednesday 2/25/15 is posted on

iLearn. This should be a sufficient guide to testable material in combination with the
LearnSmart and the CH. 12 HW. If you were not in lecture, check with someone who
was in class for discussion topics.

Compare the food web and the biological pump.

What members of the food web play an important role in the biological
pump?

SFSU, OCN 104

Spring 2015
Okimura