1. Oceanography notes (part 1):

2. Ocean size and names
Nearly 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans.
4 major oceans ranked by size: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic. (Southern Ocean [proposed] = considered an extension of Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, and covers the waters that surround Antarctica)

3. Water distribution:
97.2% of all water on Earth is seawater.

4. Ocean depths: Average depth is 3688 m (12,100 ft. or ~ 2.3 mi)
Deepest: Mariana Trench, 10,994 m (6.83 miles deep = 36,070 ft.).

5. Currents:
Currents in the ocean can be affected by differences in wind / air pressure, temperature, Coriolis effect, salinity and density.

6. Sea floor features:

7. Coastal features:
Continental Margin = transition from continent to nearby ocean floor (next two combined)
Continental Shelf – Part of the continent which is under water (a shallow area). 
Significant due to large amounts of fish, minerals, oil/gas, sand/gravel in this area.
Continental Slope – The edge of the continent; ocean drops off to deep water.

8. Continental slope parts:
Submarine Canyons – Canyons cut into the continental slope by turbidity (sediment), currents / earthquakes (mud, sand, and water).
Continental Rise – A gently sloping area at the base of the slope. Formed by turbidity flows, may be miles thick.

9. Ocean floor features:
Abyssal Plains – The bottom, 10,000 to 20,000 feet deep. They are the flattest places on the planet as sediments have smoothed out the otherwise irregular ocean floor.
Abyssal Fans – Fan shaped deposits at the end of many large rivers.

10. continental
shelf
continental
shelf
continental
slope
island
guyot
seamount
continental
slope
continental
rise
mid-ocean ridge

11. Other seafloor features:
Sea Mounts – Submerged volcano peaks; volcanoes that haven’t yet reached the surface to become islands.
Guyots – Flat top seamounts, tops were cut off by wave action.

12. Ridges:
Mid-Ocean Ridges – Mountain ranges which cross every ocean near the basin centers. New sea crust can form here.
Hydrothermal Vents – Form along mid-ocean ridges where mineral heavy water escapes from cracks in the hot, new, oceanic crust.

13. Final features:
Trenches – Deep troughs near continents. Where sea floor crust is pushed down into the earth and melted.
Fracture Zones – Where mid-ocean ridges are broken by faults.

14. Oceanography notes (part 2):

15. Ocean study:
Little was known before Sonar, invented in 1920’s. (Sonar = SOund Navigation And Ranging)
The world’s largest wilderness.

16. Sea Water:
Salinity – The dissolved solids in seawater. 3.5% of seawater is dissolved minerals / salts
Measured in parts per thousand (ppt) “32 – 37 o/oo” [compare to %]
Salts in seawater: Sodium Chloride (NaCl or ions) = ~ 85%

17. What Affects Salinity?
Salinity increases with land runoff, evaporation, volcanic eruption, formation of sea ice.
Salinity decreases with precipitation, melting of icebergs, sea ice.

18. The pycnocline: Why does the temperature spike where it does?
Why does the salinity spike where it does?

19. Currents:
Currents in the ocean can be affected by differences in wind / air pressure, temperature, Coriolis effect, salinity and density.
Tsunami source??

20. Pacific Plate dynamics:

21. Pacific Plate dynamics:

23. OLD: Ocean depths: Average depth is 3790m (12,430 ft.)
Deepest - Mariana Trench, 10,923 m (6.86 miles deep = 36,200 ft).