From Visualizing Earth Science, by Merali, Z., and Skinner, B. J, 2009, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Copyright 2009 by Wiley. Adapted with permission.
Part 1
Sections 12.1 and 12.2 of the text discuss the origin and composition of the world ocean’s seawater.
What is the current theory on the evolution of the world ocean?
Discuss the origin of the salinity of seawater and how the ocean maintains salinity.
A: The current theory on the evolution of the worlds ocean is that, it was possibly formed between four, and four and a half billion years ago. The oldest grain found was a grain called zircon. It was found in Australia. That element shows to have made contact with water, yet the origin of the water is still undetermined. Salinity of sea water is created as salt water evaporates. When sea water evaporates, three quarters of what is left is sodium chloride, which is table salt. The ocean maintains its salinity because it is constantly receiving fresh water from precipitation and tributaries. Minerals are also used by many different forms of sea life, thus resulting in sea water maintaining its salinity.
Part 2
Surface currents obtain their energy from the wind blowing over the surface waters. The currents do not exactly follow the wind direction because of an apparent force known as the Coriolis force. Using Figure 12.11 from the text, briefly explain surface currents of the world ocean and how the Coriolis force affects this movement in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
A: The Coriolis force is an apparent force that as a result of the earths rotation, deflects moving objects such as projectiles or air currents. In the northern hemisphere, it sends said projectiles to the east, and in the southern, it sends them to the west.
Part 3
Figure 13.3 in the textbook helps visualize how tides are developed. In 150 words, answer the following:
What role does the Moon, Sun, and inertia play in the development of tides?
Why is there a variation in tidal ranges?
A: The gravitational pull of the sun and the moon creates tides on the earth. While tides are most commonly associated with oceans, gravity creates tides in the atmosphere and even the lithosphere. Gravity is one of the major forces responsible for creating tides. Another is inertia, which is the force that acts to counterbalance gravity. Together, gravity and inertia are responsible for the creation of two major tidal bulges on the earth. The gravitational effects of the moon and the sun affect the Earth’s tides on a monthly basis.
Part 4
Oceanfront land is considered prime real estate. Private owners and government projects take a number of different steps to protect land and property. Discuss some of the techniques and structures used to prevent loss of property due to erosion. Are these methods successful?
A: Some methods to prevent soil erosion are, planting vegetation because it lessens the impact of rainfall to soil. Another method is to build retaining walls because The retaining wall will act as a shield for the soil and prevent soil erosion from occurring. Yet another method that I have seen used regularly is tarpping and sand bagging. This is where you take large plastic sheets, or tarps and lay them down on the area in which you wish to prevent erosion. Then the sand bags are placed along the edges to keep the tarp from blowing away. These methods do not completely stop erosion all together, but they do lessen the time it would originally take without any protection.
Part 5
Global atmospheric circulation organizes itself into three convection cells that interlock like gears. These convection cells are shown in Chapter 6—see Figure 6.1—of the text. They play a major role in the locations of the deserts shown in Chapter 15—see figure 15.12—of the text. Name these convection cells and describe the role they play in global atmospheric circulation.
A: Convection is the the name of transferring heat. It is also a term that describes the processes affecting the earths atmosphere. A convection cell is created by the rising of warm liquid, and the sinking of colder liquid. The three convection cells are the hadley cell, ferrel cell, and the polar cell. They play a role in global circulation because the air released off of the cells is all different temperature. Therefore, creating convection in the earths atmosphere.
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