1. What is a coastal dead zone? How does it form? How have people influenced dead zones in recent decades?

2. How many ocean basins are there? What are their names? Which is the largest and oldest?

3. How deep does light penetrate in the oceans? Which color goes deepest?

4. At what rate does pressure increase with depth in the oceans?

5. Compare the surface temperatures of tropical oceans with those of polar oceans. Compare the deep-water temperatures (below 2,500 m) of tropical and polar oceans.

6. Why is seawater salty? Describe the pattern of ocean surface salinity from the equator to the poles, and explain why it changes.

7. What drives surface ocean currents? What are gyres? Why do they flow in large circular loops?

8. Review the major topographic features of the seafloor.

9. What are the two major types of corals? Which type builds reefs in the tropics?

10. Describe the overall biodiversity of coral reefs.

11. Describe the mutualist relationship between corals and algae.

12. What are the three kinds of coral reefs? Use each to describe the process of atoll formation.

13. Which coral reef is the largest in the world? Where is it?

14. Why is it said that corals are “canaries in a coal mine”?

15. What are the major threats to corals today?

16. What is coral bleaching? What causes it? Is it permanent?

17. What is a mangrove forest? Where are mangrove forests found? Why are they important?

18. What is the most significant threat to mangrove forests?

19. What are seagrass meadows? Where are they found? Why are they important?

20. What are estuaries? How does brackish water relate to them?

21. How were many estuaries formed? Why are they important? Why are so many major cities located on estuaries?

22. What is a kelp forest? Where are kelp forests found? What are the threats to kelp forests?

23. What are phytoplankton? Why are they essential to nearly all marine ecosystems?

24. Why do so many organisms migrate to polar waters in spring and summer? Give examples of organisms that do this.

25. Why do so many organisms undergo a daily vertical migration? Where do they migrate to and from?

26. What compels organisms to migrate across ocean basins?

27. What and where is the shark café? What species of shark goes there, and why?

28. What is bioluminescence? Where in the oceans is it used? What functions does it have?

29. How do scientists sample life from the deep sea?

30. What are seamounts, and why do they have high biodiversity?

31. What are hydrothermal vents? Describe the life found at them. What is extremely unusual about it?

32. What are the four types of industrial fishing in wide use? What is bycatch?

33. How does soup relate to the wasteful destruction of sharks?

34. How does plastic enter the oceans?

35. What is the relationship between ocean gyres and ocean garbage patches?

36. Why does plastic become more toxic the longer it resides in the ocean?

37. How does plastic pose a threat to marine life? To people?

38. What are some of the solutions to the problem of plastic in the oceans?