Chapter 5 Flashcards
Why is water a good solvent
Water is a good solvent because of its polarity. Water molecules will stick to other polar molecules because the positive end of the hydrogen atoms and the negative end of the oxygen atom allows it to attract and surround charged particles (ions) from other polar molecules, effectively dissolving them in the water. Ex. Salt dissolving in water.
Why does water regulate temperature?
Water effectively regulates temperature because of its high specific heat capacity, meaning it takes a large amount of energy to raise its temperature compared to other substances, which is primarily due to the strong hydrogen bonds between water molecules; this property allows water to absorb and release heat relatively slowly, maintaining a stable temperature in its surrounding environment.
How does temperature affect water’s density?
As water temperature increases, its density decreases; meaning that colder water is denser than warmer water because when heated, water molecules move faster and spread apart, taking up more space and resulting in a lower density.
Why does water have such a high latent heat?
It’s due to the strong hydrogen bonds water has between molecules. The latent heat is related to the high heat capacity which means water can take in or lose much heat without
changing temperature.
What factors affect the salinity of the ocean?
Decreasing the salinity means to add more fresh water to the ocean, while increasing salinity is removing water from the ocean. Factors of decreasing would be runoff, melting icebergs, melting sea ice, and precipitation.
Factors of increasing would be sea ice formation and evaporation.
Describe, or draw, the Earth’s hydrologic cycle.
The Earth’s hydrologic cycle, also known as the water cycle, is the continuous movement of water between the Earth’s atmosphere, land, and oceans.
When there’s precipitation on land it eventually turns into runoff which eventually evaporates or transpires. Precipitation to the ocean though can lead to evaporation.
What areas of the ocean are most saline? Least saline?
The most saline would be the mid latitudes where there’s warm descending air that increases evaporation. The least saline would be the high and low latitudes with them having abundant sea ice melting, precipitation and runoff.
What happens to pH as you go deeper into water?
INITIALLY pH decreases with depth. HOWEVER latitudes differ. Low latitudes decrease with depth and high increase with depth.
Describe the pycnocline of low latitude water.
Pycnocline is present in low latitudes water but not in high. When it’s present there’s a layer in the water that’s rapidly changing density with depth (Increases with depth)
Describe the thermocline of low latitude water.
thermocline is present in low latitude water but not in high. When it’s present there’s a layer in the water that’s rapidly changing in temperature with depth. (decreases with depth)
What are different methods of desalinization? Why is desalinization a likely necessity in the
future?
The different methods are distillation which is the most common and is where water is boiled and condensed. Electrolysis the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, reverse osmosis which is where high pressure is used to force water molecules through a semipermeable membrane, effectively separating and removing dissolved contaminants like salts, and freeze separation where water is frozen and thawed multiple times.
These methods are likely necessary for the future because the human need for freshwater is increasing and water supply is decreasing.
