Lecture 3 & 4 Flashcards
What are some properties of water?
Hydrogen bonds cause water molecules to be cohesive, accounting for high surface tension.
pH of pure water is 7, considered neutral.
ocean’s average pH is slightly alkaline.
What is cohesion?
The attraction between like molecules.
What is adhesion?
The attraction between unlike molecules.
What is capillary action?
The process of a liquid flowing in a narrow space without assistance of external forces.
What is the nature of water?
Thermal capacity/specific heat - water has a high specific heat due to hydrogen bonds, oceans can maintain relatively constant temperature through stability and buffering.
Water and light - much light is reflected into the atmosphere, different wavelengths of life penetrate different depths (attenuation).
What are some factors controlling DO in the oceans?
Biologic Oxygen Demand (BOD), Mixing, Photosynthesis, and Temperature.
What is an oxygen minimum zone? Why?
Areas of the ocean where oxygen levels are low due to biological, chemical, and physical processes. Stratification of the surface water, which limits oxygen from diffusing deeper. Bacterial respiration consumes oxygen. Temperature is warmest towards the surface and oxygen is depleted from this.
What is a thermocline?
A rapid change in temperature in depths of water.
What is a halocline?
A rapid change in salinity in depths of water.
What is a pycnocline?
A rapid change in densities in depths of water.
What is the cause of the ocean’s surface circulation?
The planetary wind + earth’s rotation.
What is fetch?
The distance over which wind blows in a single direction.
What is velocity?
The speed and direction in which a wave moves.
What is a crest?
The tip of a wave.
What is a trough?
The space between the crest and the surface of the wave.
