FLVS Marine Science Module 5 Review

What 4 factors are responsible for causing or affecting surface currents?

1. Solar heating: as the water warms it expands, and this creates topography in the ocean, causing it to flow downward from the higher areas 2. Wind: moves water using the friction of air w/ the surface of the water. Long periods of wind help create currents 3. Gravity: moves water downward 4. Coriolis effect: The spin of the earth causes water to move toward the right in the northern hemisphere, creates circulation patterns around the ocean basins known as gyres

What is the minimum wind speed necessary for a storm to be considered a hurricane?

74 mph

El Nino

A band of warm ocean temperature that periodically develops off the western coast of South America and can cause climate change across the Pacific ocean. High surface air in western pacific

What is continental ice?

An expanse of ice which completely covers all underlying terrain

La Nina

Cold phase which accompanies low air surface pressure in the western Pacific

Which type of ice contains about 70% of the world's fresh water - continental or sea ice?

Continental

What relationship do you see occurring between the temperature of a current and the temperature of the land area where it is located (think coastal areas)?

Currents affect climate because they can bring in warm or cold ocean air and waters which affects weather patterns

Which kind of water is the one that is broken off to create icebergs - continental or sea ice? (check out ice shelves)

Either Old thick sea ice can make a small iceberg or you can have glaciers flowing to the sea and then forming ice shelf which then breaks up into burgs

What are the main penguin species we looked at in our lessons?

Emperor and adelie

What would happen to the animals in the ocean if there were no krill?

Everything above them on the food chain would be extremely negatively affected

What organisms do Adelie's feed upon? (It switches up from breeding season vs. winter)

Fish during breeding season, squid in the winter

What animals eat krill?

Fish, squid, birds, whales

What is sea ice?

Frozen seawater floating on the ocean surface

How do ocean currents affect the world's climate and why are they so important?

Ocean currents move water of different temperatures to different parts of the world, which affects global climates in various ways (for example, warmer waters provide more energy that could potentially start rain or even hurricanes) and assists with the ocean's ecosystem

Know:

Heat capacity is the factor that has the greatest influence on weather patterns

What is so special about penguins coloration?

Helps them hide from predators in the water

How do penguins cool off when they get too hot (know three to four ways)?

Holding their flippers away from their body, panting, going into the water

What keeps penguins warm (physical features and activities they do—know three or four ways/things)?

Huddling in groups, large amounts of body fat, incredibly active metabolism

What creates a deep-water current?

Influenced by heat from the sun , wind, gravity, and the coriolis effect. Mainly caused by density differences in the water, Density differences are a function of temperature an salinity. Also known as thermohaline circulation

What is the connection between penguin population increasing and Baleen whale population decreasing?

Over-hunting of whales means more krill for the penguins to feed on

ENSO

Refers to variations in the temperature of the surface of the tropical eastern Pacific ocean and in air surface pressure in the west pacific

What is a group of penguins called?

Rookery or colony

Which type of ice contains only seawater - continental or sea ice?

Sea

What is the advantage of the flightless penguin bird having dense and heavy bones?

Strong muscles and bones are needed to walk on land and swim for extended periods of time

Do Emperor penguins have any land predators during their nesting season? Why not?

No, it's too cold

Why do we use names for hurricanes vs. giving latitude/longitude locations only?

To keep them straight if there are more than one in the same general area

Why do these penguins switch locations with each other while huddling together to stay warm?

To keep warm, every penguin gets a chance to go through the warm central part of the huddle

Why do the Adelie penguins fight over pebbles?

To use them to build nests

How do cold, deep water upwellings increase organisms in an area?

Upwelling is a process in which currents bring deep, cold water to the surface of the ocean. Upwelling is a result of winds and the rotation of the Earth Because the deep water brought to the surface is often rich in nutrients, coastal upwelling supports the growth of seaweed and plankton. These, in turn, provide food for fish, marine mammals, and birds

How is the Antarctic important for identifying how the Earth has changed over thousands of years?

We can drill into it and measure atmosphere of gas bubbles trapped in ice cores which tells about ancient atmosphere and can see sediment layers

In which months do Emperors nest? What season is this in Antarctica?

Winter, late May/early June

What animals are eaten by krill (therefore they would not be drastically affected if there were no krill)?

Zooplankton

Know a basic food web that includes krill

Zooplankton > krill > penguin > leopard seal

How do hurricanes begin? What conditions are necessary for a hurricane to form?

Hurricanes begin as tropical storms over the warm moist waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans near the equator. As the moisture evaporates it rises until enormous amounts of heated moist air are twisted high in the atmosphere

Which 4 types of the seals found in Antarctica breed on the ice and which 2 breed on land?

Ice: Leopard and Ross seals tend to be solitary, whereas Weddell and crabeater seals form breeding groups or colonies Land: Antarctic fur seals and elephant seals are both found north of the pack-ice zone and breed in dense colonies on beaches

What would you do to protect your belongings during a hurricane?

Install hurricane shutters, reinforce doors and windows

What times of the year do we generally see hurricanes form? Why is that?

June 1- November 30 Warmer temperatures

Why are krill so important?

Krill act as the base of the Antarctic food chain

What are the 6 different types of seals found in Antarctica?

Leopard, Ross, Weddell, crabeater, fur, and elephant seals

Why is it beneficial for them to nest during the winter season?

Major predators are out of the way

Which penguin cares for the egg, the male or female?

Male

Do leopard seals eat krill?

No

What is the difference between a hurricane, a typhoon, and a cyclone?

The only difference is where it occurs "Hurricane" = Atlantic and Northeast Pacific "Typhoon" = Northwest Pacific "Cyclone" = South Pacific and Indian Ocean