Chapter 4: The Physical Properties of Water

Radiation

The air in front of a burning fire is warm.

Why are Earth's surface-water bodies more stable in terms of temperature when compared to land and air?

The high specific heat of water results in slower and less drastic temperature changes.

Different types of sound are used to study the sea floor: (blank) frequency for studying water depth and (blank) frequency for studying sediment layers.

high, low

The speed of sound in seawater ______ with increasing temperature, salinity, and depth.

increases

Which of the following are forms of energy that may be transmitted by fresh water and salt water? (Select all that apply.)

light, sound, heat

The freezing temperature of sea water is ______ that of fresh water

lower than

Seawater freezes at -2°C, lower than the freezing temperature for fresh water, because it contains dissolved (blank)

salt

Humans have emulated whales and porpoises by using sound to locate objects underwater; this technology is called

sonar

(blank) Is the measure of the average velocity of the atoms or molecules in a substance.

temperature

The average kinetic energy of atoms and molecules in a substance is measured by ______.

temperature

Earth receives electromagnetic radiation from the Sun, such as when light strikes the ocean surface. However, the full range of radiation is in ______.

the electromagnetic spectrum

Why does the temperature of the water in a lake change very little from day to night compared to the adjacent land where temperature can vary drastically in the same time period?

the water has a higher specific heat

Objects in deep water appear dark because ______.

they are not seen in their natural colors, as not all light colors can penetrate deep water

True or false: A water molecule is polar because the opposite ends have opposite charges.

true

Conduction

A metal pan becomes hot after placing it on a hot stove.

The chemical formula for water is ______.

H2O

Convection

Hot air rises, and cold air sinks. .

How compressible is water?

It is nearly incompressible.

The decrease in the intensity of light over distance, such as with increasing depth in water, is known as ______.

attenuation

Objects in deep water appear dark because they are illuminated primarily by (blank) light

blue

Surface tension of water is created by (blank) which is the attraction of water molecules to each other.

cohesion

Which has a higher density - warm or cold water?

cold water

The process of (blank) in the earth's atmosphere provides the energy that power's earth's water systems

condensation

The water molecule has ______ bonds, with electrons being shared.

covalent

Water changes states because heat is ______.

either lost or gained

The average velocity of sound in seawater is ______ m/s as opposed to 334 m/s in dry air at 20°C.

1500

Water molecules are made of (blank) hydrogen atoms and (blank ) oxygen atoms

2 hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom

The mass of 1 cubic centimeter of water is 1 gram, which is the ______ of water.

density

Echo charts can be used to study the properties of the seafloor because ______.

different rocks and sediments reflect signals differently

A water molecule is a polar molecule because it is ______ unbalanced.

electrically

The ______ includes gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet light, visible light, infrared light, and radio waves.

electromagnetic spectrum

Covalent bonds are found in water molecules and occur due to the sharing of ______ between atoms.

electrons

True or false: When heat is added to water, it always results in an increase in temperature.

false

Sound travels (blank) (and farther) in water than it does in air.

faster

The energy that powers Earth's weather comes ______.

from the heat released during condensation in the atmosphere

When water changes state, ______ is either lost or gained.

heat

Cohesion and surface tension are physical properties found in water molecules that are formed from the _______ bonds found in water.

hydrogen

The bond holding two water molecules together is a(n) (blank) bond

hydrogen

Water's extraordinary properties result from the ever-changing three-dimensional network of _______ bonded molecules.

hydrogen

Water is nearly incompressible, meaning that the increase in (blank) with increasing depth has little effect in decreasing the water's volume.

pressure

The surface of the ocean is heated by solar (blank)

radiation

What type of heat transfer allows for the Sun to warm the Earth?

radiation

As light passes through water, it is absorbed by organisms and both absorbed and (blank) by ions, suspended particles, and water molecules.

scattered

Which is higher, the density of pure water or the density of seawater?

seawater

The surface of the ocean is heated by ______. This heat is transfered to lower water depths by the action of wind and currents, and by ______.

solar radiation and molecular conduction

Water molecules come closer together with an (blank) in temperature, and density increases.

decrease

Large numbers of small organisms move collectively to the ocean's surface during the night and sink during the day. Their movements can be detected by depth recorders, and this layer of organisms is known as the ______ layer.

deep scattering

Salt water is(blank) than fresh water, causing salt water to float above fresh water

denser