Study Guide for the Cumulative Part of the Final Exam - Oceanography

The final exam is cumulative.

60% of the material on the final is taken from recent lectures ("Open Ocean" through "Fisheries"). Please use the most recent set of online study questions as an aid in preparing for this part of the exam.

40% of the material on the final focuses on the "big picture concepts" listed below. These concepts were all introduced during earlier parts of the course ("Introduction" through  "Marine Mammals") and were covered by the midterms.  All of these concepts will appear, in some form, on the final exam.  Topics that were covered earlier in the course that are not on the list below (e.g., P and S waves, formation of intermediate water) will not appear on the final exam.

You've learned a lot about the ocean!
Good luck with your studying!

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"Big Picture" Concepts That Will Appear on the Final

1. Density and density stratification
2. Internal structure of the Earth (physical properties of each layer and the sequence in which these layers occur)
3. Plate tectonics - what are lithospheric plates? why do plates move? what happens at each of the types of plate
boundaries discussed in class? what features on Earth (e.g., volcanoes, mid-ocean ridges, rift valleys, etc.) are
found at each type of plate boundary? 
4. What is a hot spot? How do hot spots form volcanic island chains?
5. Polarity of the water molecule - implications for the dissolving power of water
6. Sea "salt" - where does it come from? where does it go?
7. Oil pollution - where does it come from? where does it go? what determines the ecological impact of an oil spill?
8. Biological amplification ("bioamplification") of (some) pollutants - why does this happen and why is it a concern to humans?
9. Nutrient pollution - what causes it?  what effect does it have on plants and animals?
10. Comparison of atmospheric circulation on a rotating and nonrotating Earth
11. Global atmospheric circulation - vertical circulation cells (Hadley, Ferrel, Polar) and climate zones (desert vs forest)
12. Differences between the wind-driven and density-driven ocean circulation
13. Properties of subtropical gyre boundary currents and influence of boundary currents on climate at the west and east sides
of ocean basins
14. Upwelling, downwelling and the availability of nutrients in the coastal zone vs the open ocean
15. How do temperature and salinity influence the density of seawater?
16. Formation of bottom water and how this contributes to the density-driven circulation
17. What causes the greenhouse effect?  Is it a natural or man-made part of Earth's climate?
18. Anthropogenic climate change  - How has atmospheric chemistry changed over the past few hundred years? How do scientists know?  What potential climate changes might occur due to anticipated future increases in greenhouse gases? How might these affect society?
19. Ocean waves - Motion of energy vs mass, Orbital motion in deep vs shallow water waves, Disturbing and restoring forces
20. Constructive and destructive interference (applies to both waves, e.g., rogue waves, and tides, e.g., spring/neap)
21. Tide-generating forces (inertia and gravity) and how they generate tidal bulges for lunar and solar tides
22. Causes and effects of alongshore sediment drift
23. Seasonal changes in beach profiles
24. Adaptation to environmental change via natural selection
25. Absorption of light by seawater and the effect of this on the vertical distribution of marine plants and animals
26. The importance of floatation and strategies used by marine plants and animals to enhance floatation
27. How do marine plants differ from land plants and why are the differences so great?
28. How do baleen and toothed whales differ and how is each adapted for their environment?