Lab Practical #1 Flashcards
Osearch
a global nonprofit organization that studies sharks and other marine life to help conserve and protect the ocean
cusplets
a small projection on the side of a shark tooth’s crown
denticle
a small tooth or toothlike projection
eutrophication
excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen.
watershed
a land area that drains into a body of water, like a river, lake, or ocean
dead zone
an area of water with low or no oxygen, also known as hypoxia
anoxic
without oxygen, or deficient in oxygen
hypoxic
a condition where there is an inadequate supply of oxygen to the body’s tissues
photosynthesis word equation
carbon dioxide + water + light energy → glucose + oxygen
cell respiration word equation
glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water + energy
what water quality parameters did you test?
temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, alkalinity
turbidity
the quality of being cloudy, opaque, or thick with suspended matter (can block sunlight)
dissolved oxygen
the amount of oxygen gas that is present and dissolved in water
nitrate + phosphorus(how they effect eutriphication)
lead to increased phytoplankton
Continental crust is made of _______________.
Granite
Oceanic crust is made of __________.
basalt
sedimentary
formed from pre-existing rocks or pieces of once-living organisms.
igneous
Relating to rocks or minerals formed by the cooling and hardening of magma or molten lava
metamorphic
a type of rock that has been transformed from its original form (either igneous or sedimentary) due to intense heat and pressure deep within the Earth’s crust, resulting in a new rock with a different mineral composition and texture, often displaying a layered or banded appearance called foliation
sedimentary
hydrogenous
How would you expect the temperature profile to change in a polar region from winter to
summer? In a tropical location near the equator?
The depth and strength of the thermocline vary from season to season and year to
year. It is semi-permanent in the tropics, variable in temperate regions (often deepest
during the summer), and shallow to nonexistent in the polar regions, where the water
column is cold from the surface to the bottom
Why is sea-surface salinity highest in subtropical areas rather than right at the equator?
At the equator, solar insulation is highest, but winds are much reduced and there is
higher rainfall. The combination of high solar insolation and wind causes higher evaporation in subtropical areas, which combines with lower precipitation to produce
higher surface salinity.
How does the deep ocean conveyor belt regulate climates across the world?
The ocean’s global circulation system plays a key role in distributing heat energy,
regulating weather and climate, and cycling vital nutrients and gases. Climate change
leading to increases in ocean temperatures, evaporation of seawater, and glacial and sea
ice melting could create an influx of warm freshwater onto the ocean surface. This would
further block the formation of sea ice and disrupt the sinking of denser cold, salty water.
These events could slow or even stop the ocean conveyor belt, which would result in
global climate changes that could include drastic decreases in Europe’s temperatures due
to a disruption of the Gulf Stream.
The global conveyor belt carries water and heat energy across the globe. What is the
difference in how the conveyor belt moves water in the tropics compared to the Arctic?
In the Tropics, water warms and becomes less dense, so it rises toward the surface.
In the Arctic, water cools and becomes denser, so it sinks toward the depths.
Cold water holds more dissolved oxygen than warm water
Cold water holds more dissolved oxygen than warm water because lower temperatures
allow oxygen molecules to stay dissolved more easily. In warm water, oxygen molecules move
faster and are more likely to escape into the air, making it harder for the water to hold onto oxygen.
halocline
a layer of water where salinity changes rapidly with depth
thermocline
the transition layer between the warmer mixed water at the surface and the cooler deep water below
pycnocline
a boundary surface or layer in the ocean where there is a vertical gradient in density, primarily influenced by temperature and secondarily by salinity
upwelling
a rising of seawater, magma, or other liquid
downwelling
the sinking of dense surface water towards the bottom of a body of water
thermohaline circulation
the large-scale movement of ocean water driven by differences in temperature and salinity
density current
any current in either a liquid or a gas that is kept in motion by the force of gravity acting on differences in density
