The final exam is cumulative. 60% of the material on the final will be taken from recent lectures ("Challenges of the Marine Environment" through "Marine Mammals").  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! 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 - why are water molecules "polar"?  what are the implications of this 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. Differences between the wind-driven and density-driven ocean circulation 
11. Properties of subtropical gyre eastern and western boundary currents
12. Upwelling, downwelling and the availability of nutrients in the coastal zone vs. the open ocean
13. How do temperature and salinity influence the density of seawater? 
14. Formation of bottom water and how this contributes to the density-driven circulation 
15. What causes the greenhouse effect?  Is it a natural or man-made part of Earth's climate?
16. 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? 
17. Ocean waves - Motion of energy vs. mass, orbital motion in deep vs. shallow water waves
18. Causes and effects of alongshore sediment drift; strategies for controlling coastal erosion
20. Seasonal changes in beach profiles
21. What does it mean to extract mechanical energy from the ocean?  What does it mean to extract energy from the ocean's biological resources?
22. What are the best locations for extracting off-shore wind energy?  Why?
23. How do oil and natural gas form?  Where is each found?  Why are these considered non-renewable resources?
24. What are the challenges of extracting energy resources (e.g., oil, gas, wind) in deep-water environments?
25. What are the advantages of using marine algae as a raw material for bio-diesel production?  How might this be implemented on a large scale in the US?
26.  What considerations are important when determining the maximum sustained yield of a fished species?
27. What are the possible outcomes if a species is overfished?
28. What are the characteristics of species that might be successfully maricultured?  What challenges face the mariculture industry?  What is the outlook for 

      the future of this industry?