Final exam Flashcards
What are the 4 major basins?
Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic bish
I P A A
Where did life first evolve?
In the ocean
What is the Miller-Uray experiment?
Some dude formed organic molecules in a tube to prove something about the early atmosphere.
No oxygen (no photosynthesis) in the atmosphere - 4bya(billion years ago)
What were the first cells?
anaerobic bacteria (without air)
What helps you find your way around the sea?
Charts (ocean maps)
Compass
Reference lines: Longitude and latitude
In latitude what does 1 degree equal in minutes?
60 minutes
how much is a nauticle mile in km?
1.85km
if 1 nautical mile is 1.85km how many is 1 land mile?
1.15 land mile
degree of the equator?
0 degrees latitude
location of 90 degrees N latitude
geographic north pole
location of 90 degrees S latitude
south pole
longitude of Greenwich Meridian
0 degrees longitude
International dateline
180 degrees W longitude = 180 degrees E longitude
who is 3/4 water by mass
Marine Organisms
2/3 water by mass
Terrestrial organisms
Solvent of Polar substances
dissolves salt but not non-polar substances like oil
Polar
posses positive and negative charge
Specific Heat
the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one Celsius degree
ocean heats and cool slowly due to?
Specific heat (thermal capacity)
what is the oceans pH level?
ocean has a pH of 8 and is slightly alkaline
what is pH?
pH is the measure of acidity or basicity of liquid solutions
Nuetral with a pH of 7
Pure fresh water
pH of unpolluted rain
pH of 5.6 and is slightly acidic
what is the pH of Acid rain
has a pH of below 5.6
Nature between water and light
much of the light is reflected into the atmosphere
different wavelength (colour) of light penetrate through at different depths
why does the salinity of surface water vary?
the salinity of surface water varies as a result of Evaporations, Precipitation, Freezing, Thawing, and fresh water run off from land
what is the salinity of Sea water?
3.5% salt (NaCl a.o), 96.5% water
how is salinity expressed?
through PPT ( parts per thousand) or as gram per Kg of water
Fresh water ppt
0-0.5 ppt salinity
Brackish water salinity
0.5-30 ppt
Saline water salinity
30-50 ppt
salinity of briny water
50 or above ppt (parts per thousand)
How is Density measured?
also what is it
the mass of a substance in a given volume
measured in g/cm3
what is the density of pure water
1g/cm3
1.0270g/cm3
the density of salt water
what is denser (heavier) saltier water or fresh water
salt water is denser then fresh water
cold water is denser than?
warm water
where is the densest water found
near ocean bottom
ocean layers are separated by
Thermocline, Halocline, and Pycnocline
Thermocline
temperature drops rapidly with depth
Halocline
salinity increases rapidly with depth
Pycnocline
density increases rapidly with depth
Ocean mixing in the summer
warmer layer on top, thermocline in the middle and cold denser water underneath
seasonal thermoclines
Ocean mixing in the fall
water column unstable
surface water cools and displaces less dense water
ocean mixing in winter
storms drive surface water deeper
brings nutrients up and oxygen down with vertical mixing
spring ocean mixing
water column stabilizes
surface water warms, thermocline between warm surface water and colder denser water
what are tides?
periodic changes in water level along coastlines
tidal ranges
diurnal, semi diurnal, mixed semi diurnal
Diurnal tide
one high and one low tide
semi diurnal tide
2 high and 2 low tides of similar to equal size
Mixed semi diurnal
2 high and 2 low tides of different heights
NEAP tides
happen when sun and moon are at right angles to eachother
happen twice monthly
produces moderate tides
Spring tide
twice monthly
creates more significant high tides and lower low tides than average
happens when sun moon and earth are in alignment
list major threats to the oceans
pollution, overfishing, fishing damage, seafood farming, invasive species, sea floor damage, climate change and coastal development
direct marine pollution
ocean dumping
indirect marine pollution
through land and air
threats of agriculture land
herbicide, pesticide and fertilizer runoff washed by rain and snow melt
threats from metropolitan area (damages)
organic waste: garbage, animal droppings Nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers zinc from aging pipes used motor oil antifreeze automotive additives runoff from storm drains
threats from factory and from precipitation
PCBs, lead and sulfur
mercury, lead, zinc, Cadmium
effects of pollution
can injure or kill marine life
interfere with reproduction and productivity
trigger toxic algae blooms
produce long term effects on marine life
causes on organisms from pollution
mutilation suffocation starvation drowning distress pain
how much plastic waste enters the ocean each year
one million tons
in coastal clean ups what was the average of trash found along the shoreline and what percentage was plastic
50kg of trash per km
60% was plastic
what can last up to 450 years
1 six pack ring plastic thingy
how many plastic bags are used yearly
0.5- 1 trillion plastic bags
most end up in the ocean
what is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
a gyre of marine litter located in the North Pacific ocean
also known as pacific trash vortex
what does the Great Pacific Garbage patch consist of
mass of plastic debris found in upper water column area (significantly higher than the average)
suspended particles in upper water column
plastic breaks down into even smaller polymers
toxins that can be found within food chain
POPs, DDT, PCBs heavy metals (mercury, lead, zinc and chromium)
Biological magnification aka Biomagnification aka bioamplification
concentration of toxins in the tissue of an animal as the toxins get passed up the food chain without being broken down or excreted
Biomagnification is the accumulation of a chemical by an organism from water and food exposure that results in a concentration that is greater than would have resulted from water exposure only and thus greater than expected from equilibrium.
how are sea birds effected by DDT
when they eat fish with high levels of DDT they lay thin-shelled eggs which break during incubation
what can be inhibited by toxic compounds
what can toxic compounds fuck up?
photosynthesis
growth and cell division
what does POP stand for?
Persistent Organic Pollutant
List the animals with the least POPs to most POPs eaten through the food chain
(Persistent Organic Pollutant)
plankton - herring - salmon - resident killer whales
Plankton - herring - salmon - seal - transient killer whales
POPs move up the food chain?
what level of ppm is considered toxic waste
a level above 50 ppm by canadian guidlines
Toxic waste
chemical waste material capable of causing death or injury to life
Sources of nutrient pollution
human and animal waste
fertilizers
what is eutrophication and what does it lead to
and increase in the amount of dissolved nutrients in water
leads to: algal blooms, hypoxia, anoxia
and fish death
what is hypoxia
low oxygenated areas
what is anoxia
no oxygen within area
within these nutrient pollutions (human and animal shit) what can be found
pharmaceuticals
pathogens
hormones
coliform bacteria
why can petroleum pollution be so damaging
they are persistent
difficult for microbes to degrade
toxic to organisms
Exxon Valdez
1989: 240,000 barrels into prince william sound, Alaska
oil spill
Deep water horizon aka ( Macondo blow-out)
2010 : 4.9 million barrels into Gluf of Mexico
effects of oil spills on birds and mammals
toxic affects through ingestion
heavy coating of oil prevents birds from flying and swimming
can cause otters to die of hypothermia by destroying ability to insulate with fur
clog ears and nostrils and irritate eyes
effects of oil spill on invertebrates and algae
smother and toxic effects
community effects of oil spills
decreases species diversity
simplifies food web
disproportionate increase in population of resident species (predator pray. one thing dies the other grows in numbers)
ways to clean up oil spill
oil booms and oil skimmers help confine spill
straw is used to soak up oil
oil digesting bacteria
bacterium genetically engineered to degrade crude oil ( currently being tested)
from 2000 to 2100 what is the highest estimated temperature raise/difference
nearly 5 degrees
Canadian Center for Climate Modelling and Analysis estimates how much of a temperature difference by 2100
4 degrees
what could the changes in water temperature do to specific organisms
could affect timing of spawning metabolism larval survival growth rate shift species distribution toward poles: increase competition for native species increased predation of native species decrease oxygen levels
warm water dissolves more or less oxygen
less
effects of global warming
coral bleaching sea level rise from melting glaciers changes in wind and rain: increase in El Nino conditions change ocean currents ocean acidification
Ocean acidification
reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period of time, caused primarily by uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere
what species may ocean acidifications negatively effects calcification
coccolithophores corals foraminifera echinoderms crustaceans mollusks
how much of CO2 in the atmosphere ends up in the ocean
25%
H2O + CO2 = H2CO3
Carbonic acid
cellular resperation formula
ocean acidification
Nonnative species
alien, exotic, introduced
species that do not naturally occur in a given geographical location may become invasive
common ways new species/invasive are introduced
introduces by ships ballast water, aquaculture, accidental introduction
ballast water
fresh or saltwater held in the ballast tanks and cargo holds of ships
provide stability and maneuverability during a voyage when ships are not carrying cargo, not carrying heavy enough cargo, or when more stability is required due to rough seas.
community changes caused by introduced species
can alter ecosystem structure and function
considered one of the largest threats to biodiversity because of their negative impacts sometimes leading to extinction
define: global biodiversity
the measure of biodiversity on planet Earth and is defined as the total variability of life forms
habitat loss by coastal development and what wet lands provide
wetlands provide nutrients, spawning and shelter grounds for many marine organisms
they have been drained, filled or dredged, to provide ground for industry, beachfront Realestate and ports and harbours
habitat loss by coastal development in beaches
disturbs nesting sight of birds, sea turtles and horse shoe crabs
beach erosion interferes with longshore currents and longshore transport process
longshore currents
generated by waves that break
at an angle to the beach, moving parallel to the
beach
longshore transport process
transport of
sediments by longshore currents
fish stocks have collapsed by what %
30%, fish stocks will be collapsed by 2050
what is the reason for catch/unit effort decline
stock decline and because fishing has become less efficient
catch/unit effort
an indirect measure of the abundance of a target species. Changes in the catch per unit effort signify changes to the target species’ true abundance
Measuring how many fish you will catch compared to how much effort it takes to catch them and its not efficient anymore cause fish are ded
types of fishing vessles
purse seiner
gillnetter
troller
damages of trawling
produce large bycatch
and destroys benthic habitat
What damages do drift nets do
produce large by catch
and lost nets/ ghost fish
effects of over fishing
(catch exceeds replacement)
changes in genetic diversity
change/loss in species diversity
genetic drift
can cause traits to be dominant or disappear from a population
how does over fishing change genetic diversity
harvesting larger specimens: leads to selective pressure for smaller animals
harvesting early in reproductive cycle: creates selective pressure for fast maturation
surviving individules no longer represent full genetic variability (genetic drift) which can lead to extinction
extirpated
locally extinct , species can not fulfill ecological function
potentially impacts ecosystem diversity
problems with commercial fishing
wasteful and destructive practices
in efficient use of catch (dolphins or shark finning)
incidental catch (bycatch)
habitat destruction
use of catch less efficient as more is used for
fish-meal products to feed livestock
fish-meal
commercial product made from whole wild-caught fish, bycatch and fish by-products to feed farm animals
trophic levels
the position it occupies in a food web
why is fish meal an inefficient way to feed livestock?
10% rule of ecology
feeding livestock with commercial fish adds trophic levels and is very inefficient!
Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ)
coastal nations control fishing within 200 miles
an area of coastal water and seabed within a certain distance of a country’s coastline, to which the country claims exclusive rights for fishing, drilling, and other economic activities
Tragedy of the commons
a situation in which individuals with access to a shared resource (also called a common) act in their own interest and, in doing so, ultimately deplete the resource
Problems with aquaculture
Destruction of mangrove ecosystems for shrimp farms
Over-exploitation of feed fish for shrimp and salmon
aquaculture
Antibiotics, pesticides, excess nutrients
pollution of coastal waters
Transfer of disease (viral/bacterial)and parasites to wild stocks
how to control over fishing
new fisheries of something like krill or fish lower on the food chain
characteristics of Intertidal zones
periodically submerged and exposed
high O2 and nutrient levels
algae and sea grasses
animals with attachment and burrowing adaptions
Zonation
species composition and density change
low, mid and upper intertidal areas
=Habitats (intertidal zone, rocky shore zone, upper intertidal (splash zone) ect,)
Tidal zones
Supralittoral zone
intertidal zone
subtidal zone
whats found in upper intertidal
lichens and periwinkles
whats found in Middle intertidal
barnacles, rockweed, mussles
lower intertidal
Laminaria Kelp
what are Tide pools
depression on rocky intertidal shores that remain submerged when tide ebbs
characteristics of Estuaries
transition area river/sea water column stratified salinity varies high in nutrient very productive salt marsh grasses/algae and phytoplankton
breeding ground for invertebrates and fishes
Estuaries
significant threats to estuaries
filling, pollution, dredging
where do you find coral reefs
mostly tropical, calm, clear, oxygen rich water
characteristics of coral reefs
zooxanthellae, red and green algae
high diversity: cnidarians, mollusks, echinoderms, arthropod fishes
calcium carbonate skeleton
threats to coral reefs
overcollecting, overfishing, climate change, coastal development
characteristics Marine benthic zone
seafloor community, mostly aphotic and soft sediment
has photosynthesizers and chemo-autotrophs
detritus
inverts and fishes
threats to marine benthic zone
overfishing and waste dumping. Dredging
characteristics of open pelagic zone
70% of earths surface average depth 4,000m clear water low nutriens 50% global photosynthesis place of zooplankton, jellies, fishes, turtles, marine mammals
open pelagic zone threats
overfishing and pollution. ghost fishing (ghost nets)
chemo autotrophs
organisms that obtain their energy from a chemical reaction
Autotrophs -make their own energy
characteristics of sandy shore
most of life is underground
what is the EXTINCTION VORTEX OF SMALL POPULATIONS.
Starts with genetic drift –> inbreeding occurs –> loss of genetic variation in genepool –> lower survival changes & low rate of adapting to environment –> lower reproduction –> high mortality –> population gets even smaller.
(usually this starts occurring around 500)
