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Oceanography 2008 Divisions B and C
Oceanography OCEANOGRAPHY C (7-24-07)


1. DESCRIPTION: Students will use process skills to complete tasks related to physical and geological oceanography.
A TEAM OF UP TO: 2
APPROXIMATE TIME: 50 minutes
2. EVENT PARAMETERS: Participants may bring only one 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper of computer-generated or
handwritten notes per team. Notes may be written on both sides and may include graphics, tables, and/or text. Participants
may bring any kind of calculator. No other resources, including computers, are permitted.
3. THE COMPETITION: Participants will be presented with one or more tasks, each requiring the use of process skills. These skills include, but are not limited to,
generating inferences, making predictions, problem solving, making and recording observations, formulating and evaluating hypotheses, interpreting data, and
graphing. This event may be administered in a timed station-to-station format with the possible use of probe ware at stations.
4. TOPICS MAY INCLUDE ANY OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:
a.

Seawater: dissolved salts and gases, nutrients, pH, density, temperature, pressure
b.

Variations in salinity: evaporation, precipitation, river runoff, thawing and freezing icebergs and sea ice
c.

Sources of salt: volcanic eruptions, spreading zones, chemical weathering of rocks
d.

Measuring seawater properties: hydrographic (temp., salinity, oxygen, nutrients), dynamic properties (currents, waves, sea level, mixing processes),
depth, topography
e.

Three-layered structural zones: surface mixed zone, transition zone, deep zone, also pyncnocline and thermocline
f.

Passive and active continental margins and associated features
g.

Convergent and divergent plate boundaries and associated features
h.

Formation of seamounts, atolls, reefs, hydrothermal vents, cold seeps
i.

Meteorology: sea and land breezes, hurricanes, El Niño, La Niño
j.

Waves: formation, parts, breaking and nonbreaking features, motion, tsunamis
k.

Currents: longshore, rip, turbidity, benefits (climate, upwelling)
l.

Circulation: Coriolis effect, Ekman spiral, geostrophic flow, gyres, upwelling, downwelling, thermohaline, density
m.

Sediments: lithogenous, biogenous, hydrogenous, cosmogenous
n.

Tides: spring, neap, mixed, diurnal, semi-diurnal, tidal currents
o.

Coastline: erosional and depositional features, emergent and submergent features
5. REPRESENTATIVE ACTIVITIES: Given a diagram of the Galapagos Spreading Center, compare and contrast the motion of the ridge segments with that of the
transform fault. See galapagos.html below.
6. SCORING: Points will be awarded for the quality and accuracy of responses. Ties will be broken by the accuracy and/or quality of answers to selected questions.
SUGGESTED RESOURCES:
http://oceanmotion.org/html/background/ocean-in-motion.htm
http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/coastal_systems/outline.html
http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/ocng_textbook/contents.html
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/elnino/nino-home.html
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/02galapagos/galapagos.html
NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS: Content Standard D. Earth and Space Science: Energy in the Earth System; Origin and Evolution of the
Earth System.
OCEANOGRAPHY B
1.

DESCRIPTION: Students will use process skills to complete tasks related to physical and geological oceanography.
A TEAM OF UP TO: 2
APPROXIMATE TIME: 50 Minutes
2.

EVENT PARAMETERS: Participants may bring only one 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper of computer-generated
or handwritten notes per team. Notes may be written on both sides and may include graphics, tables,
and/or text. Participants may bring any kind of calculator. No other resources, including computers, are
permitted.
3.

THE COMPETITION: Participants will be presented with one or more tasks, many requiring the use of process skills (i.e., observing,
classifying, measuring, inferring, predicting, communicating, and using number relationships-source: AAAS) for any or all of the following
topics:
a)

Seawater: dissolved salts and gases, nutrients, pH, density, temperature, pressure
b)

Variations in salinity: evaporation, precipitation, river runoff, thawing and freezing icebergs and sea ice
c)

Sources of salt: volcanic eruptions, spreading zones, chemical weathering of rocks
d)

Measuring seawater properties: hydrographic (temperature, salinity, oxygen, nutrients), dynamic properties (currents, waves, sea level,
mixing processes), depth, topography
e)

Three-layered structural zones: surface mixed zone, transition zone, deep zone, also pyncnocline and thermocline
f)

Passive and active continental margins and associated features
g)

Convergent and divergent plate boundaries and associated features
h)

Formation of seamounts, atolls, reefs, hydrothermal vents, cold seeps
i)

Meteorology: sea and land breezes, hurricanes, El Niño, La Niño
j)

Waves: formation, parts, breaking and nonbreaking features, motion, tsunamis
k)

Currents: longshore, rip, turbidity, benefits (climate, upwelling)
l)

Circulation: Coriolis effect, Ekman spiral, geostrophic flow, gyres, upwelling, downwelling, thermohaline, density
m)

Sediments: lithogenous, biogenous, hydrogenous, cosmogenous
n)

Tides: spring, neap, mixed, diurnal, semi-diurnal, tidal currents
o)

Coastline: erosional and depositional features, emergent and submergent features
4.

REPRESENTATIVE ACTIVITY: Given the water temperatures at various depths in a column of seawater, participants will construct a line
graph. They will then identify and label the thermocline. Graphs must be labeled according to standard format.
5.

SCORING: Points will be awarded for the quality and accuracy of responses. Ties will be broken by the accuracy or quality of answers to
selected questions.
SUGGESTED RESOURCES:
http://oceanmotion.org/html/background/ocean-in-motion.htm
http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/coastal_systems/outline.html
http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/ocng_textbook/contents.html
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/elnino/nino-home.html
NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS: Content Standard D. Structure of the Earth System; Earths history. Format of the Event
5 Stations
Approximately 10 minutes per station
One Tie Breaker
Structure will follow published parameters for
content
Differences for Division B and C Focus this year is on Physical
and Geological Oceanography
Not that different then last year
Event parameters have changed
Only one 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper with
hand-written or typed notes per team
Printed both sides
Calculator okay
No other resources, including computers
permitted. Example Topics
Seawater Composition
Topographic features
Be Familiar with this Map
USGS
Formation of Reefs
Oceanographic tools
Photographs
Actual Instruments
Major Currents/Gyres Sample Questions
Provided some sample questions and
short answers from past event
Lots of crossover between Divisions C
and B
C will require more in-depth knowledge
and explanations
Example If given rock samples,
students should be able to
infer their origin
Density/ S.G.
Measurements
Know properties of
oceanic vs.
continental rocks
Basalt
Gabbro
Granite
Etc. Oceanic Crust- Its Structure
and Composition
Oceanic Crust is
thinner and denser
then continental
crust
Comprised of Basalt
and Gabbro
Consumed at
Subduction Zones
and Recycled
Basalt
Gabbro Oceanic Crust
Generally less than
10 kilometers thick,
however
it is more
dense then
continental crust,
having a mean
density of about 3.3
grams per cubic
centimeter.
CONTINENT-OCEAN
ISOSTASY ELEVATION DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN OCEANS AND
CONTINENTS IS DUE TO THE
DENSITY DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN GRANITE AND BASALT THAT
MAKE UP THE CONTINENTAL
AND OCEANIC CRUST CONTINENTAL CRUST IS
LESS DENSE AND THUS
"FLOATS" HIGHER DUE TO
ISOSTA Knowledge of how
Oceanographers monitor
Ocean
Satellites
Surface Temperature
Surface Color
Argo
Integrated Ocean
Monitoring program Students need writing implements
I will provide tests, graph paper, &
rulers
Calculators allowed
Resources allowed
Must fit in 12X 12X3 space Oceanographic tools
Photographs
Actual Instruments
Use of Hydrometer, and pH meter
Coastal Erosion (Division C) References
NOAA Satellite Information Service http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/datainfo.html
USGS Coastal & Marine Geology
InfoBank http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/infobank/program
s/html/school
Any good College Oceanography
Textbook
http://www.dlese.org/library/index.jsp Satellites Satellites can be used by
marine scientists in various
ways. Many satellites send
images back to Earth that show
the surface of the ocean and its
color, temperature, and
exaggerated level thus acting as
a remote sensor. Satellites are
also used by marine scientists
to bounce information off of (for
example a radio tag on an
elephant seal can broadcast
data about the seal's activities
to the satellite and it is bounced
back to the researcher).