Effects Of Chaning Carbon Budget - Impacts On Oceans Flashcards
Name 5 impacts on the ocean ?
Ocean acidification. Warming. Melting sea ice. Ocean salinity. Sea level rise
How much co2 has ocean absorbed through direct chemical exchange?
30%
What substance does dissolving carbon dioxide in ocean create?
Carbonic acid.
What does the creation of carbonic acid do to ocean?
More acidic.
Evidence of ocean acidification.
Since 1750 the pH of oceans surface has fell by 0.1 , 30% change in acidity.
What is the impact of ocean acidification having?
It’s largely unknown.
Exception of coral reefs.
How does more co2 in ocean affect marine organisms?
Carbonic acid reacts with carbonate ions to form bicarbonate.
These carbonate ions help species like planktonic species need calcium to create shells.
With less carbonate available, animals expand more energy building shells but also become fragile to corrosive water.
Why are coral feels important?
Food
Jobs
Security
For 500 million people worldwide
How does ocean acidification harm coral reefs?
Loss of reef.
Marine biodiversity.
Reduced food.
Reduced capacity of coastlines to buffer the impact of sea level rise - storms
How does ocean acidification impact polar and sub polar marine ecosystems.
Low in carbonate ions becoming corrosive to shells and skeletons.
Give evidence that ocean acidification is causing harm?
2007 farmer oyster larvae in USA started dying by the millions due to increasing acidity of ocean.
Caging loss of product / money / livelihoods
How can ocean acidification be positive?
More acidic , better it dissolved calcium carbonate rocks (chalk)
Meaning over time ocean can absorb excess co2 as more acidic water will dissolve more rock, release more carbonate ions.
So name 3 things ocean acidification impacts.
Marine organism.
Polar and sub polar regions.
Coral reefs
Name a negative of ocean warming?
Decrease abundance of phytoplankton which grow better in cool nutrient rich waters.
Why is it a bad thing if there isn’t as much phytoplankton in the ocean ?
Limits oceans ability to take carbon from atmosphere through biological carbon pump.
Not as good as carbon sink .
How is ocean warming a good thing?
More plants.
More co2 could increase their growth by fertilising ocean grasses that take carbon dioxide directly from water.
How is ocean warming harming coral reefs?
Killing symbiotic algae which coral needs to grow, leaving to bleaching and death of reefs
Give evidence that sea ice is melting in artic?
In the last 35 years satellites monitored sea ice retreated 40%
What kind of feedback does sea ice melting generate?
Positive feedback.
As highly reflective sea ice melts and is replaced by more sunlight - amplifies warming
How does sea ice melt affect organisms?
Algae which live in ice.
Which impacts predators up food chain - Krill / seals.
How does sea ice melt affect polar bears?
They rely on sea ice to get to main food sources.
Where has there been an observed reduction in salinity?
Deep North Atlantic
Why has there been an increase in ocean salinity?
Higher levels of precipitation/ higher temp levels.
What does higher precipitation do to ocean salinity?
Higher river run offs that eventually reach sea.
More fresh water.
What does higher temp do to ocean salinity?
Melting Greenland ice sheet and many alpine glaciers more fresh water reaching oceans.
What evidence suggests that sea level rise was one lower?
Coastal land forms
When was the last glacial retreat and what happened?
10,000 years ago.
This led to worldwide rise in sea level.
This increase was caused by melting of land locked freshwater ices
What has research told us about sea level rise worldwide?
Been rising at a rate of 3,5 mm year since early 1990s
Name 2 causes of sea level rise ?
Melting of terrestrial ice
Thermal expansion
What impacts are higher temps having on terrestrial ice?
More summer melting.
Drop in snowfall.
Shorter winters.
net gain of water entering oceans from rivers against evaporation from ocean.
Antarctica/ Greenland also moving too quickly towards oceans due to increased amount of meltwater lubricating bases.
What is thermal expansion ?
When water heats up, it expands.
Occupying greater volume in basin.
What will sea level rise be like in 2100?
0.8 and 2m
