Exam 2 Flashcards
Hydrogen bonding is responsible for
- Lower density as a solid
- High heat of vaporization
- High surface tension
- High specific heat capacity
- Cohesive and Adhesive
How does whale poop contribute to the marine food chain?
It provides nutrients that increase phytoplankton, which supports marine life.
Ocean waters tend to be saltier the closer you get to what?
Equator
Why are phytoplankton important in marine ecosystems?
- They plan a crucial role in the global carbon cycle by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
- They produce approximately half of the world’s oxygen through photosynthesis.
- They form the base of the marine food web, providing food for various marine organisms.
The two most abundant salt ions in the ocean are
Sodium and Chloride
The depth where the rate of photosynthesis balances the rate of respiration is the
Compensation depth
The Arctic Circle is located at 66.5°N. What does this number (66.5) refer to?
It is the northernmost latitude minus the Earth’s tilt.
What is the main function of the biological pump in the oceans?
To sequester carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the ocean
Why are oceans salty?
- River runoff from land
- Openings in the seafloor (hydrothermal vents)
The average salt content of the oceans is
3.5%
Photosynthesis converts
Carbon dioxide to oxygen
Respiration converts
Oxygen to carbon dioxide
What gives water it’s polarity?
Unequal sharing of electrons between hydrogen and oxygen atoms
What element is positive in water? And what element is negative?
Oxygen is negatively charged
Carbon is positively charged
The Coriolis effect results from
The Earth’s rotation
Effects of high pressure centers
- Air pressure is high and is sinking
- Air moves away
- Creates mild/calm weather
Effects of low pressure centers
- Air pressure is low and is rising
- Increases clouds and precipitation
- Can cause hurricanes
What is the Coriolis effect?
The Coriolis effect is the apparent deflection of moving objects (like air or water) when viewed from a rotating frame—in this case, Earth. Because Earth spins, moving air masses curve rather than travel in straight lines.
What causes the global wind patterns?
Uneven heating and Coriolis effect
What are the global wind patterns?
𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬:
- Location: Between the equator and about 30° latitude (both north and south).
- Direction: Blow from the east → Called “easterly” winds.
- In the Northern Hemisphere, they blow from the northeast.
- In the Southern Hemisphere, they blow from the southeast.
𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬:
- Location: Between 30° and 60° latitude in both hemispheres.
- Direction: Blow from the west to the east.
𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬:
- Location: From 60° latitude to the poles in both hemispheres.
- Direction: Blow from the east (thus “easterlies”) toward the west. Same as trade.
The Coriolis effect causes cyclones and hurricanes to rotate:
Counterclockwise and inwards in the Northern Hemisphere
Clockwise and inwards in the Southern Hemisphere
The zone of calm winds around the equator (5N to 5S) is known as the?
Doldrums
Why does land tend to heat up faster than the oceans during the day?
Water has a higher specific heat capacity than rocks.
What is a sea breeze?
- During the day, land heats up faster then the ocean
- This causes the air to rise over the land (low pressure)
- The ocean air is cooler and denser (high pressure)
- The ocean air then moves to the land — creating sea breeze
What is a land breeze?
- During the night the land cools faster then the ocean
- The water is now warmer and rises (low pressure)
- The land is cooler and denser (high pressure)
- Air then moves from land to the ocean — creating land breeze
What is La Niña?
Phase of ENSO (changes in ocean temperatures and wind patterns in the tropical Pacific Ocean every 3-7 years)
La Niña occurs when trade winds are stronger, so it’s cooler, more wet in Asia & Australia, more dry in the Americas
What is El Niño?
Phase of ENSO (changes in ocean temperatures and wind patterns in the tropical Pacific Ocean every 3-7 years)
El Niño occurs when trade winds are weakened or reversed. Makes earth warmer, Asia and Australia drier and the Americas wetter.
What role do NADW and AABW (thermohaline circulation, where it’s salty and cold) play in the global ocean circulation system?
They transport heat, carbon, and nutrients around the oceans
Names and origin of the densest water
The North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW)
The Antarctic Bottom Water (most dense)
Both’s origin is they are at the poles
What impact does melting sea ice have on thermohaline circulation?
Decreases salinity, weakening circulation
Surface currents =
Wind bands + coriolus
What is the primary cause of ocean acidification? How does this affect ocean pH?
Excess carbon dioxide (CO₂) being absorbed by seawater
Ocean pH is lowered
What is upwelling and downwelling?
Upwelling is the movement of cold, deep, often nutrient-rich water to the surface mixed layer; and downwelling is the movement of surface water to deeper depths.
The large scale circular patterns of ocean surface currents found in each ocean are known as
gyres, there are 5 major ones
How do air bubbles trapped in ice cores provide information about past climates?
They trap gases like CO₂ and methane, showing past atmospheric conditions
What is the current ocean pH
8.1, a weak base
What causes coral bleaching?
Rising sea temperatures that stress corals
How do ice core records show the link between carbon dioxide levels and global temperatures?
They reveal that CO₂ levels and temperatures have risen and fallen together over time.
Identify and define the Milankovitch cycles
𝐓𝐢𝐥𝐭: Obliquity, 23.5 degrees, changes seasonal intensity, ~41k yrs
𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: Wobble, shifts timing of seasons, ~26k yrs
𝐄𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲: Elliptical orbit, alters total solar radiation time length, ~100k yrs
What causes rising sea levels?
- Melting glaciers and ice sheets
- Thermal expansion of water
How does ocean acidification affect marine organisms with calcium carbonate shells?
It makes their shells weaker and more likely to dissolve
What is insolation and albedo?
Insolation is the amount of solar radiation in a given area. Higher insolation areas are warmer
Albedo is the measure of how much sunlight is reflected off a surface.
More reflected = cooler
More absorbed = warmer
What are the most abundant gases in the atmosphere?
Nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide
How do melting glaciers vs. sea ice affect sea levels? Which has more impact?
The glaciers are on land vs the sea ice which is in the water floating.
The glaciers have more impact in raising sea levels as they aren’t already in the water.
Define air pressure
The pressure exerted by weight of the air
What direction is the North and South hemisphere deflected by Coriolis?
North: to the right
South: to the left
What are greenhouse gases, and what are the main types?
Greenhouse gases are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere
Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and nitrous oxide
Why does atmospheric carbon dioxide flucate on an annual basis?
Because seasonal changes in plant growth and decay
Describe requirements for hurricane formation and sources of hurricane energy
Hurricanes form from warm ocean waters, low air pressure, low wind shear, and coriolis
They get their energy from warm ocean waters and from the energy released by condensation
Which country has the most emissions of greenhouse gases and by per capital
China
Qatar
Evidence of climate change within increases and decreases
- Average temp: increased 1.17C
- Summer Artic ice: decreased
- Antarctica and Greenland ice sheet volume: decreased
- Ocean levels: increased
- Ocean temp: increased 0.6C
What are the differences in the climate pattern over the last 800,000 years compared to that for most of the last 500 million
The last 800,000 years has experienced prolonged ice ages with glacial and interglacial cycles
The last 800,000 years have been significantly cooler compared to most of the last 500 million years
The poles have been ice free throughout most of the last 500 million years.
