Study guides · Stuff Every Oceanography Scout Should Know
Practice facts for the Oceanography merit badge. Not an official Scouting America credential. Grab a snack: this guide is the friendly version, with the answers explained and a groan-worthy joke waiting at the end of most cards.
Knowing Oceanography Scout saves you money, time and the occasional embarrassment.
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Short answer: Chemical oceanography
Chemical oceanography studies seawater properties and how its chemistry changes.
Groan of the day: Chemistry at sea really makes waves.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Geological oceanography
Geological oceanography covers seafloor geology, plate tectonics, and paleoceanography.
Groan of the day: Geology rocks, even underwater.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Physical oceanography
Physical oceanography covers temperature-salinity structure, waves, tides, and currents.
Groan of the day: This branch goes with the flow.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Marine organisms and their ocean environment
It studies marine ecology and biology within the physical, chemical, and geological setting.
Groan of the day: This branch has a lot of sole.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: The history of oceans in the geologic past
Paleoceanography examines past circulation, chemistry, biology, and sedimentation.
Groan of the day: Paleoceanography is a thing of the past.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Temperature and salt content
Thermo refers to temperature and haline refers to salt content.
Groan of the day: Thermohaline has a salty personality.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Gravitational forces of the Moon and Sun
Tides are the rise and fall of sea level from Moon and Sun gravity.
Groan of the day: Tides really pull their weight.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: The Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream and Kuroshio Current are wind-driven western boundary currents.
Groan of the day: The Gulf Stream is a real mover.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: A decrease in ocean pH from carbon dioxide
Added carbon dioxide forms carbonic acid and lowers ocean pH.
Groan of the day: Acidification is no laughing matter for shells.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Animals with calcium carbonate shells
Calcium carbonate becomes more soluble at lower pH, harming shelled organisms.
Groan of the day: Shells have a hard time with sour seas.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Extra heat stored in the ocean
Ocean heat content is extra heat stored from changes in Earth's energy balance.
Groan of the day: The ocean holds a lot of heat, no sweat.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: About 90 percent
Ocean warming accounts for about 90 percent of that energy accumulation.
Groan of the day: The ocean absorbs heat like a sponge.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Around 4,700
The expedition discovered around 4,700 new species of marine life.
Groan of the day: That is a boatload of new species.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Benjamin Franklin
Franklin measured water temperatures and correctly explained the Gulf Stream's cause.
Groan of the day: Franklin was current on ocean science.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Reefs and atoll formation
Darwin published a paper on reefs and the formation of atolls.
Groan of the day: Darwin really made a reef-fined discovery.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Collecting data while frozen in Arctic ice
The ship froze in ice so scientists could gather data at a fixed spot.
Groan of the day: Fram was cool under pressure.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: An echo-based depth measurement
The first acoustic measurement of sea depth was made in 1914.
Groan of the day: Sound thinking measured the deep.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: An echo sounder
The Meteor expedition used an echo sounder to survey the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Groan of the day: Meteor made a sound survey of the ridge.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Jack Corliss and Robert Ballard
Corliss and Ballard discovered deep-sea vents in the submersible DSV Alvin.
Groan of the day: Alvin dove into a hot discovery.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: The bathyscaphe
Piccard invented the bathyscaphe and used Trieste to investigate depths.
Groan of the day: Piccard went deep with his invention.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Traveled under ice to the North Pole
The nuclear submarine Nautilus made the first journey under the ice to the North Pole.
Groan of the day: Nautilus broke the ice in polar travel.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: 1.7 percent of members' research spending
Members focus 1.7 percent of total national research expenditure on ocean science.
Groan of the day: Ocean science gets a small slice of the funding pie.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: It helps explain Earth's energy balance and climate shifts
Ocean study is critical to understanding energy balance and climate changes.
Groan of the day: Ocean study keeps climate science afloat.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Evaporation, precipitation, and thermal flux
Evaporation, precipitation, thermal flux, and solar insolation link them.
Groan of the day: Air and sea are in constant conversation.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: How carbon moves through the ocean
The oceanic carbon cycle is part of climate and biogeochemistry study.
Groan of the day: The carbon cycle keeps ocean chemistry busy.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Ongoing climate change and warming
Coral bleaching is among phenomena studied regarding climate change.
Groan of the day: Bleaching is no day at the beach for corals.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Evaporation and precipitation
The water cycle connects to the ocean through evaporation and precipitation.
Groan of the day: The water cycle keeps the ocean in the loop.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: A climate-related ocean change
Arctic sea ice decline is studied as part of ongoing climate change.
Groan of the day: Shrinking ice is a chilling trend.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Periods of unusually warm ocean water
Marine heatwaves are among climate-related ocean phenomena studied by scientists.
Groan of the day: Marine heatwaves are no beach party.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Sea level rise and extreme weather
Coastal erosion is studied with sea level rise and extreme weather.
Groan of the day: Erosion slowly wears down the coast.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Carbonic acid
Absorbed CO2 forms carbonic acid, lowering pH.
Groan of the day: Carbonic acid gives seawater a sour side.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: About 8.2
Seawater had a preindustrial pH of about 8.2 and is slightly alkaline.
Groan of the day: Seawater was slightly basic back then.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: About 7.7
The pH is expected to reach 7.7 by 2100.
Groan of the day: The pH forecast is heading south.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Pteropods, coccolithophorids, and foraminifera
These planktonic organisms are important in the food chain and affected by acidification.
Groan of the day: Tiny plankton face a big pH problem.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: A depth where carbonate shells dissolve
Below this depth, calcium carbonate dissolves more easily.
Groan of the day: This depth makes shells disappear.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Corals building calcium carbonate skeletons
Corals become less able to build calcium carbonate skeletons.
Groan of the day: Corals struggle to build when seas turn sour.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: Earth's climate and biogeochemistry
Ocean carbon cycling is part of climate and biogeochemistry study.
Groan of the day: The ocean is a carbon cycle heavyweight.
Sources: Oceanography
Short answer: The amount of dissolved salt
Salinity describes how much salt is dissolved in seawater.
Groan of the day: Salinity keeps things salty, but it never gets salty about it.
Sources: Scouting America: Oceanography
Short answer: Dissolved salt adds mass to the water
More dissolved salt adds mass, so salty water is denser than fresh water.
Groan of the day: Dense seawater sinks, so it never floats its own boat.
Sources: Scouting America: Oceanography
Short answer: A strong narrow flow moving away from shore
A rip current is a strong, narrow channel of water flowing away from the beach.
Groan of the day: A rip current can rip you away from shore, so swim parallel to escape.
Sources: Scouting America: Oceanography
Short answer: Swim parallel to the shore
Swimming parallel to shore lets you leave the narrow current, then swim back in.
Groan of the day: Don't fight the rip, just go with the flow sideways.
Sources: Scouting America: Oceanography
Short answer: A rise in sea level pushed by a storm
Storm surge is a rise in sea level driven by storm winds and low pressure.
Groan of the day: A storm surge is a surge of water, not a surge of excitement.
Sources: Scouting America: Oceanography
Short answer: An underwater earthquake or disturbance
Tsunamis are caused by underwater disturbances such as earthquakes.
Groan of the day: A tsunami is a big wave, but it never waves hello first.
Sources: Scouting America: Oceanography
Short answer: A fast tide that flows up a river
A tidal bore is a fast-moving tide that travels up a river channel.
Groan of the day: A tidal bore is a tide that bores up the river.
Sources: Scouting America: Oceanography
Short answer: Sea is locally wind-driven waves; swell travels far
Sea waves are raised by local wind, while swell is waves that traveled from far away.
Groan of the day: Swell waves travel far, so they really get around.
Sources: Scouting America: Oceanography
Short answer: Waves breaking in shallow water near shore
Surf is waves that break as they reach shallow water near the shore.
Groan of the day: Surf breaks near shore, so it never breaks its promise to arrive.
Sources: Scouting America: Oceanography
Short answer: Waves slow and steepen as they reach shallow water
As waves enter shallow water they slow, steepen, and topple into breakers.
Groan of the day: Breakers form when waves trip over shallow water.
Sources: Scouting America: Oceanography
Short answer: An underwater mountain rising from the seafloor
A seamount is an underwater mountain that rises from the ocean floor.
Groan of the day: A seamount is a mountain at sea, so it really stands out.
Sources: Scouting America: Oceanography
Short answer: A flat-topped underwater mountain
A guyot is a seamount with a flat top, often from wave erosion.
Groan of the day: A guyot is flat on top, so it never gets a big head.
Sources: Scouting America: Oceanography
Short answer: A very deep narrow depression in the seafloor
An oceanic trench is a very deep, narrow depression in the ocean floor.
Groan of the day: A trench is a deep subject, so oceanographers dig into it.
Sources: Scouting America: Oceanography
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Chemical oceanography. Chemical oceanography studies seawater properties and how its chemistry changes.
Extra heat stored in the ocean. Ocean heat content is extra heat stored from changes in Earth's energy balance.
Traveled under ice to the North Pole. The nuclear submarine Nautilus made the first journey under the ice to the North Pole.
Carbonic acid. Absorbed CO2 forms carbonic acid, lowering pH.
Swim parallel to the shore. Swimming parallel to shore lets you leave the narrow current, then swim back in.
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