3/7/26, 10:27 AM Oceanography Study Guide
Ocean
MARINE SCIENCE · STUDY REFERENCE
ography
Five Core Topics
I Seawater Properties & Ocean Structure
THREE-LAYER MODEL
Ocean Structure by Depth
0 – 2 00 m Surface Mixed Layer Uniform T° & salinity via wind mixing
20 0 – 10 00 m Pycnocline / Thermocline Rapid density & temperature change
> 100 0 m Deep Layer 0–4°C · 80% of ocean volume
DENSITY SALINITY CHEMISTRY & BIOLOGY
Density Factors Salinity (avg 35 ppt) Key Values
— Increases with colder — pH avg 8.1 (basic); CO₂
Increases:
temperature absorption →
evaporation, sea-
— Increases with higher acidification
ice formation
salinity Decreases:
— Nutrients high in deep
— Pressure +1 atm per 10 m precipitation, water, low at surface
river runoff, ice
depth — Chlorophyll = proxy for
melt
phytoplankton biomass
— SST range: −2°C to 30°C
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3/7/26, 10:27 AM Oceanography Study Guide
II Ocean Circulation
SURFACE CIRCULATION DEEP CIRCULATION
Wind-Driven (Upper ~200 m) Thermohaline / Global Conveyor Belt
— Coriolis Effect: Deflects water right (NH) / — Driven by density differences (temp +
left (SH) → circular gyres salinity)
— Ekman Transport: Net flow 90° to wind — Deep water forms at high latitudes (e.g., N.
direction Atlantic) when water becomes cold & salty
— Western Intensification: Western basin enough to sink
currents (e.g., Gulf Stream) are faster,
narrower, deeper
UPWELLING VS. DOWNWELLING
Vertical Water Movement
▲ UPWELLING ▼ DOWNWELLING
Surface divergence / winds pulling water away Surface convergence / winds pushing water
from coasts → cold, nutrient-rich deep water toward coasts → surface water sinks, carrying
rises to surface. oxygen to the deep.
III Waves & Tides
WAVE PROPERTIES WAVE TYPES
Characteristics Common Wave Sources
— Wind Waves: Generated by wind
H — Height | L — Wavelength
T — Period | c — Velocity
— Tsunamis: Seismic origin; very long
wavelengths
— Shoaling: Shallow water → slower speed, — Storm Surge: Pressure/wind-driven sea-level
shorter wavelength, greater height → rise
breaking
SPRING TIDES NEAP TIDES TIDAL PATTERNS &
RESONANCE
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Max Tidal Range Min Tidal Range Pattern Types
Full/new moon — sun, moon, Quarter moons — sun and — Diurnal: 1 high + 1 low/day
and Earth aligned. Forces moon at right angles. Forces — Semidiurnal: 2 equal
add together → greatest partially cancel → smallest highs & lows/day
high/low difference. high/low difference.
— Mixed: 2 unequal highs &
lows/day
— Resonance: Basin period
matches tidal forcing
(e.g., Bay of Fundy)
IV Coastal & Geological Oceanography
ESTUARIES COASTAL LANDFORMS CORAL REEFS
Types Erosional vs. Reef Progression
— Bar-built: Behind
Depositional
— Erosional: Sea cliffs, Fringing (near
sandbars
shore)
arches, stacks
— Tectonic: From land → Barrier (lagoon
sinking — Depositional: Beaches, forms)
spits, barrier islands → Atoll (subsided
— Fjords: Glacial U-shaped
valleys volcano ring)
MARINE GEOLOGY SEDIMENT TYPES
Seafloor Features Four Categories
— Seafloor spreading: new basaltic crust at — Terrigenous: Land-derived
mid-ocean ridges (divergent boundaries) — Biogenous: Organic remains / shells
— Continental shelf (<200 m) → steep slope → — Hydrogenous: Precipitated from water
gentle rise → abyssal plains
— Cosmogenous: Space dust
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V Climate & Research Tools
ENSO CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS
El Niño / La Niña Ocean Impacts
— Sea-level rise (thermal expansion + ice melt)
EL NIÑO LA NIÑA
— Ocean acidification (CO₂ → carbonic acid →
Weakened trade Strong trade
↓pH)
winds · warm winds · cold
eastern Pacific · eastern Pacific · — Deoxygenation
suppressed high upwelling
upwelling
OCEANOGRAPHIC TOOLS
Instruments & Methods
CTD — Conductivity, Temperature, Depth Niskin Bottles — water samples at depth
Sonar — bathymetry ADCP — current velocity
Sediment Cores — paleoclimate research
Oc e ano gra ph y · Stu d y Gu i de 5 Se c t ion s · Pr ope rtie s · Ci rcu lat ion · Wav es · G eol ogy · Climate
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