Unit 2 Lesson 1

Unit 2 Lesson 1 Earth’s Oceans and the Ocean Floor
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Feelin’ Blue
What are Earth’s five main oceans?
• Almost three-fourths of Earth is covered by ocean
water. On a map, the continents appear as huge
islands surrounded by a vast global ocean.
• Earth’s global ocean is divided into five main

oceans.
• In decreasing order of size, they are the Pacific

Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern
Ocean, and Arctic Ocean.

What are some characteristics of ocean water?
• The chemical characteristics of ocean water

include salinity, or the amount and type of
dissolved salts.
• Chemical characteristics also include the amount

and type of gases in the seawater.
• The physical characteristics of ocean water include

temperature and density.

• The overall salinity of seawater is about 3.5

percent.
• Dissolved salts come from water flowing on or

under Earth’s surface, and from underwater
volcanoes and vents.
• The salinity of seawater has remained relatively

steady, but it varies from place to place depending
on the entry of freshwater streams, precipitation,
and rate of evaporation.

• The ocean has three temperature layers by depth.

The top layer, or surface zone, is the warmest
layer.
• In the next layer, the thermocline, water

temperature drops with increased depth faster
than it does in other layers.
• The deep zone is the deepest layer and the

coldest.

• By latitude, surface water is warmest near the

equator and coldest near the poles.
• By season, surface water is warmest in summer

and coldest in winter.

• Density is a measure of the mass of a substance

divided by its volume. The density of ocean water
depends on temperature and salinity.
• Salt water is denser than fresh water because salt

water contains a larger amount of dissolved solids.
• Temperature affects the density of ocean water

more than salinity does. Cold water is denser than
warm water.

Seeing the Sea

How is the ocean floor studied?
• To learn about the ocean floor, scientists use
technology such as sonar, drills, underwater
exploration vessels, and satellites.
• Sonar, which stands for sound navigation and

ranging, uses sound waves to measure distances.
• Sonar data can be used to make maps of the

ocean floor.


• What is this ship doing and why?


• Satellites can measure variations in the height of
the ocean’s surface. The ocean floor’s features can
affect the height of the water above them.
• To explore the oceans, scientists use underwater

vessels, some of which have pilots and
researchers. Other vessels are remotely operated.
• Using equipment on large ships, scientists can drill

and collect cores, or long tubes of rock and
sediment, from the sea floor.


• Which technologies are being used to explore the
underwater landscape?

In Deep Water
What are the two main regions of the ocean floor?
• The two main regions of the ocean floor are the

continental margin and the deep-ocean basin.
• The continental margin is the edge of the

continent that is covered by the ocean.
• The continental margin is divided into the

continental shelf, the continental slope, and the
continental rise.

What are the two main regions of the ocean floor?
• The deep-ocean basin begins at the end of the

continental margin and extends under the deepest
parts of the ocean.
• The deep-ocean basin includes narrow depressions

and flat, smooth plains.

What are the features of the ocean floor?
• A long, undersea mountain chain that forms along

the floor of the ocean is called a mid-ocean
ridge.
• Mid-ocean ridges occur at the boundaries of

Earth’s tectonic plates, where plates move apart
from each other.
• This motion creates a crack in the ocean floor

called a rift, allowing hot magma to move upward
through the rift and cool to form new rock.

• The large, flat, almost level area of the deep-

ocean basin is called the abyssal plain. This area is
covered with layers of fine sediment.
• A long, narrow depression in the deep-ocean basin

is called an ocean trench. It forms where one
tectonic plate subducts another plate.
• Volcanoes and earthquakes are common in and

along subduction zones.

• Submerged volcanic mountains on the ocean floor

are called seamounts.
• They may form at tectonic plate boundaries and

also far from plate boundaries over places called
hot spots.
• If a seamount grows above sea level, it becomes a

volcanic island.

• Identify various features of the ocean floor.

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Unit 2 Lesson 1 Earth’s Oceans and the Ocean Floor

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

• Earth’s global ocean is divided into five main

• In decreasing order of size, they are the Pacific

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

What are some characteristics of ocean water?

• The chemical characteristics of ocean water

• Chemical characteristics also include the amount

• The physical characteristics of ocean water include

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

What are some characteristics of ocean water?

• The overall salinity of seawater is about 3.5

• Dissolved salts come from water flowing on or

• The salinity of seawater has remained relatively

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

What are some characteristics of ocean water?

• The ocean has three temperature layers by depth.

• In the next layer, the thermocline, water

• The deep zone is the deepest layer and the

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

What are some characteristics of ocean water?

• By latitude, surface water is warmest near the

• By season, surface water is warmest in summer

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

What are some characteristics of ocean water?

• Density is a measure of the mass of a substance

• Salt water is denser than fresh water because salt

• Temperature affects the density of ocean water

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Seeing the Sea

• Sonar, which stands for sound navigation and

• Sonar data can be used to make maps of the

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

How is the ocean floor studied?

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

How is the ocean floor studied?

• To explore the oceans, scientists use underwater

• Using equipment on large ships, scientists can drill

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

How is the ocean floor studied?

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

• The two main regions of the ocean floor are the

• The continental margin is the edge of the

• The continental margin is divided into the

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

What are the two main regions of the ocean floor?

• The deep-ocean basin begins at the end of the

• The deep-ocean basin includes narrow depressions

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

What are the features of the ocean floor?

• A long, undersea mountain chain that forms along

• Mid-ocean ridges occur at the boundaries of

• This motion creates a crack in the ocean floor

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

What are the features of the ocean floor?

• The large, flat, almost level area of the deep-

• A long, narrow depression in the deep-ocean basin

• Volcanoes and earthquakes are common in and

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company