Learning about Oceans Assignment

Q2: The ocean floor looks pretty much how I thought it would look like. The ocean floor
is very similar to a continent it is dotted with plains, mountains deep canyons, volcanoes,
trenches, and flat areas. I see the many affects that plate boundaries have they can cause
to move away or towards each other. Because of the movement of plate tectonics a
volcano formed the Hawaiian Islands and each island in the chain is older toward the
northwest.

Q3: Shown above is one of the deepest trenches called The Marina Trench and its found
near the Pacific Ocean by Japan. This trench is 6.38 miles deep and 1580 miles long.

Continued question 3: Pictured above is the second deepest trench in the world it is found
also in the Pacific Ocean near the Philippines called Philippine Trench. It is 6.46 miles
deep and is 820 miles long. The third deepest trench is also in Japan near the Pacific
Ocean and is called the Bonin Trench. It is 6.2 miles deep.

Q4: Seamounts are submarine mountains. Some of the names include: Orca Seamount,
Bowie Seamount, Davidson Seamount and Muirfield Seamount. The one shown above is
called the Ocra Seamount and was actually first named by a professor after the orca,
killer whale, that would be sighted in these waters. The length of the Orca Seamount is
400 km and the width is 670 km.

Q5: Coral Reefs have survived tens of thousands of years of natural change, but many of
them may not be able to survive because of what is brought by humankind. Many coral
reefs are damaged beyond repair when others are under serious threat. Some of the
activities that threat the environment for coral reefs include: Overfishing, pollution,
carless tourism and climate change. Other threats to just the worlds ocean include: oil and
gas aquaculture, shipping and inadequate protection. The picture above is of Central
America where most coral reefs are located that and near the equator.

Q6: I noticed that a lot of the Volcanoes and even earthquakes occur on the trenches.
Some famous islands that are volcanoes include: The Big Island that has five major
volcanoes that are Kilauea, Mauna Loa and Kohala. Mauna Loa is the largest active
volcano on the earth. Kilauea is present one of the most productive volcanoes on Earth.

The oceans and seas that contain the most volcanoes are found mostly around a belt
called Ring of Fire that encircles the Pacific Ocean. Some volcanoes, like those that
form the Hawaiian Islands occur at areas called Hot Spots. There are currently three
active volcanoes in Hawaii mentioned above.

Q7: I noticed that a lot of the earthquakes are located on the lines of earths tectonic
plates. The plate tectonics run through pretty much all of the oceans like the Atlantic and
Pacific and Indian. Earthquakes occur in oceans because of temblors. Temblors happen
when rock break under force. This can happen with tectonic stress or in the spreading
zones. An example of this is one of these zones is the Mid Atlantic Ridge where Europe
moves away from North America at the rate of about one inch per year. The most active
plates are called divergent plate boundaries.
Q8: Where plate pull apart, slide by each other or collide there is tectonic activity
manifested as earthquakes. The great majority of earthquakes happen on tectonic plate
boundaries.

Q9: The relationship between hurricanes to oceans is that the ocean currents surround a
lot of these hurricanes. Hurricanes form over tropical oceans where warm water and air
interact to create these storms. In order for a hurricane to form, two things must be
present; a weather disturbance, such as a thunderstorm, that pulls in warm surface air
from all directions and water at the oceans surface. Because of this interaction of warm
air and water it spawns these storms giving strength for rotation of the Earth makes them
spin.

Q10: The Ocean plays a fundamental role in shaping the climate zones we see on lands.
Even areas hundreds of miles away from any coastline are still largely influenced by the
global ocean system. The ocean doesnt just store solar radiation; it helps to distribute
heat around the globe. Largely ocean currents drive weather patterns. The shape and
location of the continents help determine the oceans circulation patterns. Patterns of

ocean circulation can also change much more rapidly resulting in climate variations and
fluctuations on a human time-scale.

Q11: Five major cities along coastlines are Asia, Africa, Brazil, California and Santa
Catarina. Highenergywavesoftenhadtheeffectoferodingtheshoreline.Sometimes
justsandremoval,sometimesactuallybreakingapartrock,suchasthecoastalcliffshere
inSouthernCalifornia.Theybreakbigthingsintorepeatedlysmallerthings.Becauseof
thehumangrowthovertheyearstherehavebeenthreatsofoverfishing.Pollutionand
introduceddeicesareaffectinglifeinthesea.
Reflection:
ThreethingsthatIlearnedaboutoceanswerethatoceansplayahugeroleontheclimate.
Oceancurrentsdriveweatherpatterns.ThesecondthingIlearnedisthathurricanesform
overtropicaloceans.Andlastlythatbecauseofcitiesbeingclosetothecoasttheylive
threatstotheoceanlifeincluding:pollution,overfishing.
ThreethingsthatIlearnedaboutGISarethatalotofearthquakesandhurricanesareon
earthsplatetectonics.SecondthingIlearnedarethethreedeepesttrenchesintheworld.
Lastlywheresomeoftheseamountsareandwhattheyarecalled.
Howspatialperspectiveaboutoceanshasinfluencedmyunderstanding:Whenoneisable
tostepbackandlookatthewholeworldinoneviewitwillcompletelychangetheir
perspective.Itwouldbehardtounderstandtheenormityoftheoceansandwhatare
containedinitwithoutspatialimagery.Itisalsoawonderfultooltobeabletozoomin
andlookcloselyatthemanyfeaturesintheocean.