ESS Module 7- 7.06: Oceans and Climate Change

How do rising sea levels affect seawater contamination?

As glaciers and sea ice melt, salinity decreases, the amount of freshwater increases causing the overall density of the seawater mixed with fresh water to decrease.

Are oceans becoming more basic or more acidic?

As more and more carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere, oceanic CO2 levels increase and pH levels decrease, resulting in oceans becoming more acidic.

Where does the energy for storms and changes in weather patterns come from?

As ocean heat content increases, sea surface temperatures will increase. These warmer temperatures mean that there is more energy to fuel storms, resulting in an increase in both the number of storms and the intensity of the storms. (As sea surface temperature increases, there is more energy to fuel storms. This causes a change in weather patterns resulting in an increase in the amount and intensity of extreme weather events, like hurricanes, and heavy precipitation events, like thunderstorms.)

Why is the change in marine species distribution concerning?

Fishing communities will be negatively impacted by the loss of marine species in their region. This change shows that the oceans are warming.

What is pH? How do the changes in carbon dioxide levels affect pH levels in oceans?

pH is a measure of how acidic or basic a solution is. The lower the pH level, the more acidic the substance is.

How has average ocean heat content changed over time?

Although these two data sets are from slightly different time periods, they both show that average ocean heat content has increased.

What happens to sea level and weather events as a result of ocean heat content increasing?

As ocean heat content increases, water temperatures increase, the water expands, the volume of the oceans increases, and the sea level rises. As heat increases, molecules become more energized, moving faster as they start to spread out, causing volume to increase.

What are some possible effects of rising sea surface temperatures?

As sea surface temperature increases, there is more energy to fuel storms. This causes a change in weather patterns resulting in an increase in the amount and intensity of extreme weather events, like hurricanes, and heavy precipitation events, like thunderstorms.

What happens as temperatures on land and in the lower atmosphere increase?

As temperatures on land and in the lower atmosphere increase, glaciers and sea ice melt.

How does the amount of heat absorbed from global warming by oceans compare to the amount absorbed by land on Earth?

Average land temperatures have increased more than average sea surface temperatures. Although the average global land temperatures have been steadily rising, land only accounts for a small portion of Earth's surface. Oceans cover about 71% of the surface of our planet, play a central role in regulating climate, and are vital to life on Earth.

What are some consequences of sea levels rising?

Average sea level has increased because of glacial and arctic ice melt and because of the increase in ocean heat content.

What changes were observed in the Antarctic ice between 2003 and 2013?

Between 2003 and 2013, there was a steady decline of ice in the Antarctic. About 2000 gigatons of ice was lost. Each gigaton is equal to 2.2 trillion pounds, which is the equivalent to the weight of about 200 million elephants. So that's a lot of ice!

What is the relationship between carbon dioxide levels and pH levels in oceans?

Carbon dioxide levels in the ocean are increasing. pH levels in the ocean are decreasing. CO2 levels and pH levels are inversely related to each other.

What are the effects of ocean acidification?

Definition- A decrease in the ocean's pH over an extended period of time due to an increase in CO2. 1. Human activity increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The excess carbon dioxide enters into the oceans, changing the ocean water. 2. The excess carbon dioxide dissolves in the ocean causing a chemical reaction that converts it to carbonic acid. This lowers the pH of the ocean water and affects marine life. 3. Carbonic acid is corrosive and dissolves calcium carbonate, which is the material the shells of many species of marine life and corals are made of. 4. Ocean acidification can cause disruptions to fragile environments by altering marine food chains. This can also affect coastal communities and industries that depend on the ocean for their livelihood. As Earth's oceans undergo acidification, marine species and ecosystems become more vulnerable, growth and survival rates in some species are reduced, some marine organisms are not able to build shells and skeletal structures, and coastal communities are negatively affected.

What is heat capacity? How is it different from specific heat capacity?

Heat capacity is the amount of heat needed to change the temperature of a substance by one degree Celsius. Similarly, specific heat capacity is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius. high specific heat- A substance requires more energy to raise its temperature by 1 degree C. low specific heat- a substance requires less energy to raise its temperature by 1 degree C. The higher the specific heat of a substance, the more energy is needed to raise its temperature by 1°C.

How do rising sea levels affect shoreline flooding?

Increased coastal flooding Economic hardship Saltwater contaminating freshwater sources Increased coastal erosion Millions of people displaced from their homes Habitat destruction Destruction of coastal roads and buildings In fact, all of these are effects of rising sea levels. Here is another way to think about how serious sea level rise is: for roughly every 30.48 cm (1 foot) of sea level rise, we can expect 30.48 m (100 feet) of coastal flooding!

What changes are we seeing related to marine species distribution? What is the primary cause of these changes?

Marine species are relocating northward to deeper and cooler waters because ocean temperatures are increasing.

What else is causing sea level to rise?

Melting glaciers and sea ice are contributing to the rise in sea levels seen today.

How do rising sea levels affect density?

Ocean currents are powered by differences in density. Cold water and salt water have higher densities than warm water and fresh water.

Has the lowest specific heat capacity

Sand

How do rising sea levels affect salinity?

These differences are caused by both temperature and salinity fluctuations or changes in the amount of dissolved salt in the water.

What are some of the consequences of global warming to the oceans?

Today, the ocean has absorbed about 90 percent of the heat generated by rising emissions. As the excessive heat and energy warms the ocean, the change in temperature leads to unparalleled cascading effects, including ice-melting, sea-level rise, marine heat waves, and ocean acidification. The effects of ocean warming include sea level rise due to thermal expansion, coral bleaching, accelerated melting of Earth's major ice sheets, intensified hurricanes*, and changes in ocean health and biochemistry.

What does it mean if two variables are positively correlated? Inversely related?

Two variables are considered positively correlated when both variables increase or decrease together Two variables are considered inversely related when one variable increases while the other variable decreases.

Compare the specific heat capacity of land to water.

Unlike land, water has a very high specific heat. This allows water to absorb more heat without changing temperature. Land (Quartz Sand) 0.19 Cal/gramºC Water 1.0 Cal/gramºC

What are some of the impacts of rising sea levels?

Warming temperatures cause sea levels to rise and ice to melt, which can lead to increased flooding from storm surges and our freshwater sources being contaminated with salt water. With the Earth's sea levels getting warmer, the sea levels are getting higher. Just like mercury in a thermometer, water expands when it's heated, and Earth's ocean is taking in more than 90% of the heat from global warming which is a lot. Water temperatures also cause a lot of the ice to melt, and it ends up in the ocean.

Can absorb the most heat without changing temperature

Water

Has the highest specific heat capacity

Water

What role does the specific heat capacity of water in oceans play in regulating global temperatures?

Water has a much higher heat capacity than most other substances. Unlike land, water can absorb a lot of heat without changing temperature. This resistance to sudden temperature changes allows oceans to absorb large amounts of heat with only a slight increase in temperature. Without the oceans holding this heat, global temperatures would be much higher than what we see today.

What happens when ice sheets, glaciers, and sea ice melt? How does it affect ocean currents?

When ice sheets, glaciers, and sea ice melt, they add fresh water to the oceans. This changes the density of seawater, slowing down ocean currents. Melting polar ice can result in all sorts of changes, including changes in the way that nutrients are transported, a decrease in the amount of nutrients transported, changing weather patterns, and changes to the regions that experience warm and cold water currents.