G131 HOME
INFORMATION
SCHEDULE
RESOURCES
EXERCISES
NOTES
Links to summaries of key issues for each topic
PREAMBLE
Introduction
PART I
Ocean World
Plate Tectonics
Margins/Basins
Review 1
Sediments
Chemistry
PART II
Atmosphere
Ocean Circuln.
Waves
Tides
PART III
Coasts
Ocean Life
Primary Prodn.
Mar. Animals
Communities
Mar. Resources
Env. Concerns
VISUALS
Links to images employed in lectures on a topic-by-topic basis
TEXT
Link to chapter outlines at online learning center
NOTES
Links to summaries of key issues for each topic
 
An Ocean World

Notes on Topic:

  • The notes identify the learning objectives within dominant themes
  • They present summaries of key issues for each topic
  • They emphasize the terminology used to describe the various phenomena.
1. Water on the Earth and the Hydrologic Cycle:
Learning Objective:
  • Appreciation of the distribution of water among different reservoirs on Earth and its movement within the hydrologic cycle.
Hydrologic Cycle: Occurrence and Movement of Water on Earth
  • Water present in various reservoirs 
    • oceans, glacial and land ice, groundwater, rivers and lakes, atmosphere
    • in decreasing order of size 
    • oceans and sea ice: over 97% total water on Earth
  • Movement of water on the Earth's surface (oceans and continents)
    • evaporation, condensation in clouds, precipitation over ocean
    • transportation by wind to land, precipitation (rain and snow)
    • surface runoff, infiltration into soil and groundwater
    • evaporation from rivers and lakes, ice sublimation
2. The Surface of the Earth:
Learning Objectives:
  • Recognition of the principal characteristics of the Earth's surface, especially the distributions and elevations/depth of the continents and oceans
  • How geographical perspectives of the Earth are shaped by map projections
Ocean Distribution and the Hypsographic Curve:
  • Land 29.2%, oceans 70.8% (Atlantic, Pacific, Indian)
  • Hemispheres: northern 60.7% sea, 39.3% land, southern 80.9% sea, 19.1% land
  • Ocean area: 3.61 x 108 km2; ocean volume 1.37 x 10 9 km3. 
  • Hypsographic Curve: 
    • depth as cumulative % of Earth's surface. 
    • deepest point: Mariana Trench 11,020m 
    • highest point: Mt. Everest 8,840m
    • average: ocean: 3795m, land: 840m, overall 2,686m deep 
    • small imperfections on sphere with 6,370km radius.
Map Projections:
  • Goals for map characteristics:
    • equal area, consistent shape, accurate distances, true direction
  • Mercator: 
    • cylindrical projection
    • lines of longitude and latitude are represented as straight lines
    • lines intersect at right angles
    • directions are maintained but polar regions are distorted 
  • Homolosine (Goode): 
    • lines of latitude are represented as parallels
    • either oceans or continents are interrupted
    • projection maintains areas and shape, but they are interrupted.
    • North/South direction is curved not straight
3. The Scientific Method :
Learning Objectives:
  • Comprehension of the fundamental approach to scientific inquiry
Principles:
  • Sequential progression of questions, tests and answers:
    • questions, observtions, interpretations, predictions, hypotheses
    • experiments and measurements building patterns, supporting theories

 
  
 
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Indiana University
Department of Geological Sciences, 
1001 E. Tenth Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-1403
Phone: (812) 855-5582  Last updated: 6 September 2002
Comments: simon@indiana.edu
Copyright 2002, The Trustees of Indiana University