Ocean Science Test 2

Drinking water has a salinity of:

0.1ppt

Brackish water has a salinity of _____.

0.5-30ppt

Western Boundary Currents (on the western sides of ocean basins) are intensified in these ways:

Faster Narrower Deeper Warm

Measuring deep currents:

Floating devices tracked through time (ARGO) Chemical tracers: Tritium Chlorofluorocarbons Characteristic temperature and salinity

H2O is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom in a _______ bond with a ______ bonding pattern.

covalent tetrahedral

Water molecules absorb energy from other ______ to break free.

water molecules

The top of the hill of water is displaced to the ___ due to Earth's rotation.

west

Protons determine two things

what element it is. properties of that element

Where can upwelling occur?

whenever currents DIVERGE When land and wind and surface currents are in the right orientation When currents encounter obstacles or shallows

Does upwelling trigger productivity?

yes

Fall/low latitude ocean layers

No mixing=no nutrients=no life=clear water

Density of surface sea water

1.022 to 1.030 g/cm3 surface seawater

There is enough salt in the ocean to cover the earth with a ____ m later.

150m

The atmosphere accounts for approximately ___/3s of global heat transfer.

2 2/3rds

What is the earth's degree of tilt?

23.5 degrees

Salinity varies more widely in coastal sections. In Castine it is around

29-30ppt

Agricultural water can have as much as ___ salinity.

2ppt

Melting of ice caps are predicted to raise sea levels by ___ feet by the end of the century. Some think this is an underestimate.

3 feet

What is the drift time of subtropical gyres?

3-6 years

Saline water (seawater/lakes) has a salinity of:

30-50ppt

Open ocean salinity:

32-38ppt

Average seawater salinity is:

34.7ppt

In a typical Kg of sea water how many grams make up the salinity portion?

34.8g

The Mediterranean sea has a salinity of ___.

38ppt

The atmosphere's concentration of CO2 is:

397ppm

Water density increases to a maximum as its temperature approaches:

4 degrees celcius

The red sea has a salinity of ___.

40ppt

How many Gyres are there?

5 North Pacific South Pacific North Atlantic South Atlantic Indian

How much dissolved material is there in the oceans?

50 quadrillion tons of dissolved material 50 million billion tons

Brine has a salinity of ____.

50+ppt

Water's latent heat of vaporization/condensation:

540 cal/gram

The latent heat of evaporation at 20 degrees Celsius is ____.

585 cal/gram

Pure water has a PH level of ___ so it is neutral.

7

Ocean PH is about:

8.1

Water's latent heat of freezing/melting:

80 cal/gram

Baltic sea salinity__.

8ppt

The development of a tropical cyclone:

A low pressure cell breaks away from the equatorial low pressure belt, and begins spinning on its own. (counter clockwise around the low pressure). Surface winds pick up water vapor from the warm ocean surface in the tropics. When this water condenses into clouds it releases heat, warming the storm, causing it to rise (lowering the pressure more). This increasingly lower pressure creates more wind, which leads to more surface evaporation, which leads to more water to condense, more heat and even lower pressure.

Heat Capacity:

Amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of any substance 1o C

Where are surface currents found and how much of the ocean do they affect?

Are found above and down into the pycnocline—to a depth of about 1 km (0.6 miles) and thus affect about 10% of the ocean's water.

Residence time-

Average length of time a substance remains dissolved in seawater

Ekman's Spiral:

Average movement of seawater under influence of wind 90o to right of wind in Northern hemisphere 90o to left of wind in Southern hemisphere Ekman spiral describes speed and direction of seawater flow at different depths (yielding a total net transport) Each successive layer moves increasingly to right (N hemisphere)

Thermohaline Circulation Deep Ocean Currents

Below the pycnocline 90% of all ocean water Slow velocity Movement caused by differences in density (temperature and salinity) Cooler seawater denser Saltier seawater denser

Subtropical Gyres:

Centered about 30o N or S Direction of rotation determined by wind and coriolis 3-6 year drift time Each made of 4 currents: Equatorial current Western Boundary currents Eastern Boundary currents Northern or Southern Boundary currents (depends on hemisphere)

Eastern Boundary currents (on the eastern sides of ocean basins) are less intense:

Cold Slow Shallow Wide

Deep Ocean Currents Mix the Ocean

Cold, oxygen-rich surface water to deep ocean, dissolved O2 important for life and mineral processes Nutrient rich water to surface Changes in thermohaline circulation can cause global climate change Example, warmer surface waters less dense, not sink, less oxygen deep ocean Changes in thermohaline circulation can result from global climate change.

Cool ocean currents cool air at coast

Cool, dry air Dry climate on adjoining landmass

Solar Energy affects the ocean in two ways

Creates winds - that drive the surface ocean currents and waves Heats water (lack of it cools water) - changing temp and salinity, creating density currents

Uneven solar heating causes:

Day/night Seasons Thickness of atmosphere Reflective angle Albedo

How can changes in the thermohaline affect climate change?

Example, warmer surface waters less dense, not sink, less oxygen deep ocean, less nutrients to go up

Methods of measuring ocean currents:

Direct methods: Floating device tracked through time Fixed current meter Indirect methods: Pressure gradients Radar altimeters Doppler flow meter

Low Pressure zones

Equatorial low at 0 degrees subpolar lows at 60 degrees overcast skies with lots of precipitation

Salinity Increases Through

Evaporation Formation of sea ice

Sea Ice Formation

Fresh water freezes out of sea water Releases heat to the atmosphere Makes surrounding water saltier (and hence denser) Closely tied to temperature (-22 F) Ice is a poor conductor, slows the formation of deeper ice

What affects surface currents?

Frictional drag between wind and ocean (2% transfer) Wind plus other factors such as Distribution of continents Gravity Friction Coriolis effect

Acid releases ___ when dissolved in water. The PH scale measures the ___ content.

H+ Hydrogen ion

The three types of cells starting from the equator going towards the poles are the:

Hadley Ferrel Polar

Physical changes to ocean from global warming:

Increased regional stratification (depth of thermocline deepening, thermoclines strengthening) Leads to decrease in productivity due to cut off of surface water from bottom water Possible changes to thermohaline (vertical) circulation on a global scale Possible fast and unexpected changes in global climate-including the reduction in heat transfer Links to past mass extinction events Hydrogen sulfide in ocean and atmosphere, based on evidence from paleoclimate sediment reconstructions

Coastal Salinity varies due to:

Influx of freshwater lowers salinity or creates brackish conditions Greater rate of evaporation raises salinity or creates hypersaline conditions Salinity may vary with seasons (dry/rain)

Steady State Conditions:

Input=output

Carbonate Buffering

Keeps ocean pH about same (8.1) pH too high, carbonic acid releases H+ pH too low, bicarbonate combines with H+ Precipitation/dissolution of calcium carbonate CaCO3 buffers ocean pH Oceans can absorb CO2 from atmosphere without much change in pH

Continental effect -

Land areas have greater range of temperatures day/night and during different seasons

Tropical Cyclones-

Large rotating masses of low pressure Strong winds, torrential rain Classified by maximum sustained wind speed

Winter/High latitudes

Lots of mixing=lots of nutrients=lots of life (when there is sunlight)=murky water

High Latitudes low angle of incidence

Low amount of radiation per unit of area (same amount of sunlight diluted over larger surface area)

Describe the different pressure cells:

Low pressure at the equator Hadley cells: 0-30 degrees lat In between =high pressure Ferrel cells: 30-60 degrees lat In between = low pressure Polar cells: 60-90 degrees lat

Hurricanes are formed from:

Low pressure, Wind increases evaporation Evaporation = ENERGY from warm water into the atmosphere (585 cal/gram) Energy in the atmosphere warms air(vapor condensing releases ENERGY) Pressure drops (warm air rises) Winds increase Repeat, start at step 1.

Surface Current Summary

Major currents make up sub tropical gyres Currents set in motion by prevailing wind, affected by coriolis Gyres each have 4 currents Western boundary= warm, eastern boundary= cold Western intensification from the "slosh factor" Studied/tracked by floating objects/people

What are the effects of surface currents?

Moving heat/energy from warm regions to cool regions (sub tropical gyres—which are the warm currents?), the last 1/3 of energy transport... Climatic effects on land Surface movements affect upwelling and downwelling (vertical circulation of water)

An example of a polar compound or ionic bond:

NaCl, sodium chloride

Marine Effect -

Ocean's moderate temperatures changes day and night and with the seasons.

Salinity Decreases Through:

Precipitation (rain or snow) Runoff (river flow, melting of land based ice) Melting icebergs Melting sea ice

Cool dense air, higher surface ______. Warm less dense air, lower surface ______.

Pressure

Deep ocean currents

Provide oxygen to deep sea and nutrients to the surface Density driven, vertical and horizontal movement

Salinity increases through sources:

River flow biologic interactions volcanic eruptions

Salinity decreases through sinks:

Salt spray chemical reactions at seawater-sea floor interface Biologic interactions evaporite formation absorption

How can global warming affect the ocean?

Sea level rise Changes to Sea ice Warming Ocean Water Temperatures Changing physical structure of the ocean Ocean Acidification

Thermohaline circulation:

Selected deep-water masses Antarctic Bottom Water North Atlantic Deep Water Antarctic Intermediate Water Oceanic Common Water Cold surface seawater sinks at polar regions and moves equatorward

What are some potential affects of global warming on ocean life?

Species range shift Changes in temperature depended behaviors (physiologic) Timing of shedding of lobsters, timing of phytoplankton blooms Growth rates, disease susceptibility Coral bleaching

Upwelling Process

Surface seawater moves away Deeper seawater (replaces surface water) Upwelling High biological productivity

Describe the downwelling process:

Surface seawater moves towards an area Surface seawater piles up Seawater moves downward Downwelling Low biological productivity

Atmosphere moves heat via the latent heat of vaporization and condensation:

Takes heat from warm water by evaporation Deposits heat in cool areas by condensation

What makes the western boundary currents more intense?

The sloshing caused by the earth's direction of rotation

Density Stratefication

The surface is where things vary (both temp and salinity) The surface is where Density will change When density changes at the surface the whole water column can change—the layers will have to RE-LAYER. Some layers persist, some mix readily

Coral bleaching results when:

coral polyps lose their symbiotic algae Bleached corals are not necessarily dead but they are under stress If given an opportunity to recover, they can regain their algae

What and where are the three major wind bands?

Trade winds (0-30 lat) Prevailing westerlies (30-60 lat) Polar easterlies (60-90 lat)

Surface Ocean Currents:

Transfer heat from warmer to cooler areas (1/3) Similar to pattern of major wind belts Affect coastal climates Wind driven, horizontal movement (top 400 -1000m or so of ocean, involves approx 10% of water in the world)

Thermocline Halocline Pycnocline

Typically in open ocean there is a surface layer, and a deeper layer or layers. The zones of transition between layers are the "clines".

Ocean Acidification:

When CO2 dissolves in seawater, carbonic acid (H2CO3) is produced. The carbonic acid (H2CO3) dissociates in seawater releasing hydrogen ions (H+) and bicarbonate ions (HCO3-). The increase in H+ causes a decrease in pH, ie, the solution goes from more basic to more acidic. These H+ ions will want to combine with CO32- ions to form more bicarbonate ions (HCO3-). Most shells are made of calcium carbonate CaCO3 from the Ca2+ ions and the CO32- ions in the ocean. Can you envision what happens to these shell makers as CO32- combines with the increasingly abundant H+?

The earth's tilted axis causes:

Vernal (spring) equinox Summer solstice Autumnal equinox Winter solstice

What affects whether air sinks or rises?

Warm air, less dense (rises) Cool air, more dense (sinks) Moist air, less dense (rises) Dry air, more dense (sinks) "Nature abhors a vacuum"

Warm ocean currents warm air at coast:

Warm, humid air Humid climate on adjoining landmass

Sublimation

Water absorbs heat and travels from solid to gas state

Deposition

Water releases heat and travels from gas to solid state

An example of a non polar compound

oil

The Ocean Layers Affect:

a. nutrient cycling (or not) and therefore productivity b. density differences that create ocean currents that affect global climate

Ions are removed from the ocean by

absorption precipitation hydrothermal activity at the mid ocean ridge sea spray biologic processes

Annually 320,000 cubic KM are evaporated from the ocean to the ____.

atmosphere

The total amount of dissolved content of water does not include ____.

organics

The Coriolis affect is caused by Earth's tilted axis and the different speeds an object travels at different latitudes. It _____ moving bodies.

deflects To the right in the northern hemisphere To the left in the southern hemisphere Maximum at the poles Minimum (no effect) at the equator

Six elements make up 99% ______ solids in seawater.

dissolved sodium, chloride, sulfate, magnesium, calcium and potassium

Upwelling primarily occurs where currents _____.

diverge

As temperature of water goes up the latent heat of evaporation goes ____.

down

When the net Ekmans transport of seawater is towards land ____ is the result.

downwelling

Angle of incidence of solar rays per area gives more heat to ________ areas than polar areas

equatorial

Water has high latent heats of ____.

evaporation freezing/melting vaporization/condensation

The hotter the water the _____ Hydrogen bonds to be broken, the colder the water the more.

fewer

Even with no additional input of liquid water, thermal expansion of warming sea water could account for a ____ or more of sea level rise!

foot

Water has a high _____ point and _____ point

freezing point boiling point

Icebergs are broken off pieces of ____ or ice caps where they met the sea.

glaciers

The poles are ____ pressure zones.

high

The precipitation latitudes are the _____ latitudes.

high

Thermohaline circulation originates in ____ latitudes.

high

Water has a ____ heat capacity.

high

Low latitudes High angle of incidence

high amount of radiation per unit of area (concentrated sunlight)

Air always moves from regions of _____ pressure to ____ pressure.

high pressure to low pressure

In the mid regions the surface salinity is ____ due to ___________.

higher due to the high rate of evaporation

Electrons determine

how atom bonds and net electrical charge

Pynocline

in oceanography, boundary separating two liquid layers of different densities. In oceans a large density difference between surface waters (or upper 100 metres [330 feet]) and deep ocean water effectively prevents vertical currents; the one exception is in polar regions where pycnocline is absent. Formation of pycnocline may result from changes in salinity or temperature. Because the pycnocline zone is extremely stable, it acts as a barrier for surface processes. Thus, changes in salinity or temperature are very small below pycnocline but are seasonal in surface waters.

Density _____ with decreasing temperature.

increases

Water is called the universal solvent because it easily breaks up the bonds between other polar compounds. Those are molecules held together with opposite charges i.e ____ bonds.

ionic

One calorie is:

is amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1o C

Temperature is a measurement of:

is measurement of average kinetic energy

Thermocline -

is the transition layer between the mixed layer at the surface and the deep water layer. The definitions of these layers are based on temperature. The mixed layer is near the surface where the temperature is roughly that of surface water. In the thermocline, the temperature decreases rapidly from the mixed layer temperature to the much colder deep water temperature. The mixed layer and the deep water layer are relatively uniform in temperature, while the thermocline represents the transition zone between the two. A deeper thermocline (often observed during El Niño years) limits the amount of nutrients brought to shallower depths by upwelling processes, greatly impacting the year's fish crop.

Water can take in/lose a large amount of heat without changing temperature.

large

Salinity in the ocean surface water varies primarily with _____.

latitude

In the southern hemisphere pressure vectors deflect to the ____of their direction of travel.

left

The density of ice is ___ than the density of water.

less

Ocean acidification could be bad for marine ___.

life

Ions with ____ residence time are in high concentration in seawater

long

Ions with short residence time are in ____concentration in seawater

low

Rocks have a ____ heat capacity. They quickly gain or lose temperature when subjected to heat.

low

The equator is a ____ pressure zone.

low

In the equatorial region the salinity is ____ due to ________.

lower due to lots of rain

In the polar regions the surface salinity is _____ due to ______________.

lower due to rain, snow, and glacier run off

Salinity affects the ____part of density.

mass

What is upwelling?

movement of cold deep nutrient rich water to the surface—surface is nutrient starved, so upwelling triggers productivity

Heat is the energy of ____ ____.

moving particles

Water density controls the: _______ cycling

nutrient cycling and therefore productivity (what lives where, how much of it lives there)

The oxygen atom of H2O has a ____ charge and the two hydrogen atoms have a ____ charge

positive negative

Wind and water ______ heat around the planet.

redistribute

Albedo

reflectivity due to snow and ice

In the northern hemisphere pressure vectors deflect to the ____of their direction of travel.

right

Ions are added to the ocean by:

river discharge volcanic eruptions hydrothermal activity at the mid ocean ridge

All three ______ of water are found on earth's surface.

state or phase

Any element can theoretically be found in any of the three _____

states or phases

The evaporation latitudes are the _____ latitudes.

subtropical

High Pressure zones:

subtropical highs at 30 degrees polar highs at 90 degrees clear skies, evaporative latitudes

What causes upwelling and downwelling?

surface currents

The density of seawater is controlled by:

temperature, salinity, and pressure temperature is the most important and variable factor

Temperature affects the _____ part of density in seawater.

volume

Variations in Ocean salinity (on our time scale) are due to changes in amount of _____.

water

Cold surface seawater sinks at polar regions and moves towards ___ _______.

the equator

Earth's Surface has a moderate temperature since:

the equatorial oceans don't boil the polar oceans don't freeze solid

The seasons are caused by earth's _____.

tilted axis of rotation

Water has an ____density profile

unusual

As temperature of water goes down the latent heat of evaporation goes ____.

up

Ekmans transport moves seawater. When the net transport is away from land _____ is the result.

upwelling

Seasonal changes are amplified by -

varying levels of solar radiation reaching Earth.

Water density affects:

vertical and horizontal water movements (aka currents) and therefore ocean circulation (and therefore regional climates and weather patterns)!

What is downwelling?

vertical movement of surface water, down to deeper parts of ocean—not associated with productivity, but recharges deep ocean with oxygen.

Halocline -

vertical zone in the oceanic water column in which salinity changes rapidly with depth, located below the well-mixed, uniformly saline surface water layer. Especially well developed haloclines occur in the Atlantic Ocean, in which salinities may decrease by several parts per thousand from the base of the surface layer to depths of about one kilometre (3,300 feet). In higher latitudinal areas of the North Pacific in which solar heating of the surface waters is low and rainfall is abundant, salinities increase markedly with depth through the halocline layer.