Oceanography: Ocean Sediments and Deposits

What percentage of the Earth's surface is covered by the ocean?

What type of deposits are formed from the skeletal remains of ocean organisms?

What is the term for the slow and steady accumulation of dead plankton on the seafloor?

What is the primary factor that controls the supply of sediment to the ocean?

What is the term for the process of iceberg calving contributing to the transport of sediment to the ocean?

What type of foraminifera is found on the ocean floor?

What is the term for the oxygen isotope ratio that is used to measure ocean temperatures and global ice volume?

What is the term for the glacial-interglacial cycling of the Earth's climate system?

What is the term for the process of using species assemblages to reconstruct past climates?

What is the term for the long, detailed records of Quaternary climate change that are provided by oxygen isotope ratios?

Ocean Coverage and Sedimentation

Oceans cover 71% of the Earth's surface
Sedimentary records are obtained by taking samples from the seafloor using tools like the Calypso giant piston corer
Deep ocean sediment cores are stored in a core repository

Types of Marine Deposits

Littoral deposits: formed between extreme levels of low and high tide
Shallow water deposits: formed on the continental shelf
Deep ocean deposits: formed beyond the edge of the continental shelf
Shelf deposits are often complex and discontinuous
Abyssal plain sediments are more uniform

Ocean Sediment Constituents

Terrigenous deposits: composed of material surrounding land and transported to the ocean
- Includes Aeolian (wind-blown dust) and ice-rafted debris
Biogenous/biogenic deposits: composed of skeletal remains from ocean organisms
- Includes marine 'snow': a slow, steady 'snowfall' of dead plankton on the seafloor
- Radiolaria: single-celled creatures
- Coccoliths: carbonate plates excreted by single-celled algae
- Foraminifera: single-celled organisms with calcium carbonate shells (planktonic and benthic)

Analyzing Ocean Sediments

Species assemblage techniques: used to analyze ocean sediments
Geochemical (isotopic) techniques: used to measure ocean temperatures and global ice volume
- Oxygen isotope ratios are used to reconstruct past climates
- Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) are a globally applicable reference stratigraphy
- O-18 is denser and records continental ice volume
- O-18 provides long, detailed records of Quaternary climate change

Implications of Ocean Sediment Analysis

Provides evidence for orbital pacing of climatic change
Overturned existing ideas about Quaternary climate change
Conclusive evidence of glacial-interglacial cycling and timings
Revolutionized our understanding of the Earth's climate system

This quiz covers the formation and characteristics of ocean sediments, including deposition sites and types of deposits. It also explores the different types of ocean deposits, including littoral, shallow water, and deep ocean deposits.