Midterm 1 Flashcards
1
Q
what is an ocean
A
region of ocean floor artificially divided by boundaries of continents
2
Q
what is a sea
A
body of water smaller than ocean that is partially enclosed by land
3
Q
what happens in a rift zone
A
plates diverge
4
Q
what happens in a subduction zone
A
plates converge
5
Q
where do islands often form
A
rift zones
6
Q
what does bathygraphic mean
A
3d structures on ocean floor
7
Q
what is a continental margin and what does it consist of
A
shallow area surrounding continents
continental shelf, continental rise, continental slope
8
Q
what is a continental shelf
A
relatively flat granite extension of continents
9
Q
how is a continental shelf formed
A
- eroding action of waves
- river deposition
-sediment trapping
10
Q
what areas tend to have narrow continental shelves
A
mountainous areas (ex: BC)
11
Q
what is a continental slope like
A
steeper slope and relatively little sediment
12
Q
what are the features of a continental rise
A
shallower slope, deep sediment
13
Q
what is an ocean basin
A
ocean past continental margin
14
Q
what does an ocean basin contain
A
Abyssal plain
sea mounts
trenches
15
Q
what is an abyssal plain like
A
flat, sediment covered, dark/unproductive
16
Q
what is a sea mount
A
extinct underwater volcanoes
17
Q
what are trenches
A
deep narrow troughs associated with volcanic island arcs
18
Q
what are the 4 types of sediment origins
A
hydrogenous
terrigenous
biogenesis
cosmogenous
19
Q
what is hydrogenous sediment
A
precipitated from minerals in sea water
20
Q
what is biogenous sediment
A
dead shelled organisms (ooze)
21
Q
what is terrigenous sediment
A
eroded continental rock
22
Q
what is cosmogenous sediment
A
iron-rich particles from outer space
23
Q
what is the hypothesis of continental drift
A
Pangea broke up long ago and continents moved to their current position
24
Q
why does water have a high heat capacity
A
H bonds restrict movement of water molecules
= takes more energy to raise temperature
25
what is the polar wander
rocks have magnetic crystals which point to magnetic North Pole
older rocks of same age and on same continent point to same point (not current magnetic north)
meaning that either continents moved or magnetic north moved (continents moved is correct)
26
what is surface salinity affected by
- run off
- precipitation
- evaporation
- freezing
- thawing
27
what is salinity like in the subtropics
lower precipitation, high evaporation = high salinity
28
what is salinity like in the poles
each summer ice melts = lower salinity
in winter ice formation increases = salinity increases
29
what contributes to salt in ocean
- volcanoes
- precipitation
- river discharge
- rocks on sea floor
30
what removes salt from sea water
-adsorption (main one) (ions stick to fine particles of clay and get locked into sediment)
- organisms die
- sea spray
- salts removed when organisms removed
31
how do gases get into ocean
primarily consist of gases of atmosphere which dissolve into sea
introduced through biological processes (photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition)
32
where is oxygen at its highest concentration in water
near surface (photosynthesis)
33
where is oxygen minimum zone and why
just below sunlit zones (o2 is depleted by organisms)
below that o2 is increased due to o2 rich waters that sank at higher latitudes
34
does the amount of gas dissolve increase/decrease when temperature and salinity increase
decrease
35
does the amount of gas dissolve increase/decrease when pressure increases
increase
36
where is highest per unit area of sun radiant energy
between tropics
37
why are greenhouse gases bad
prevent loss of heat through radiation
38
where is sea surface temp (SST) the highest
highest at equator
39
what is a isotonic solution
concentration is equal in/out
40
what is a hypertonic solution
more solutes outside
(cell shrinks)
41
what is a hypotonic solution
more solutes insider (cell swells)
42
what are the traits of an opportunistic species
environment is harsh, unpredictable
- small body, early age of maturity, large clutches, often no parental care, high mortality, large population fluctuations
43
what are the traits of an equilibrium species
environment benign/predictable
larger body, late age of maturity, small clutches, parental care, low mortality, small population fluctuations
44
what are the 3 types of symbiosis
mutualism: good for both
parasitism: good for 1, bad for other
commensalism: good for 1, neutral for other
45
what are the 3 periods of marine bio
- exploration and description (until 19th century)
- developments of ecological hypotheses and testing (19th-20th)
- technological developments
46
what were the Phoenicians contributions to marine bio
mariners, explored Atlantic ocean
47
what was Aristotle's contribution to marine bio
distinguished many species
developed classifications for ichthyology
first to understand that fish use gills to breathe
48
what did Piny the elder do
documented info on bivalves, fish, orcas
49
what was James cook's contribution to marine bio
contributed to mapping of pacific ocean, oceanography , marine species
50
what did carl Linnaeus do
developed binomial nomenclature
51
what did George culler do
science of comparative anatomy
52
what did Edward Forbes develop and what was it
Azoic theory : no life lives below 300 fathoms
53
who was Robert Fitzroy
navel officer, pioneering meteorologist, sailed with Darwin
54
apart from evolution what was the other theory Darwin came up with
Coral atolls
55
what did challenger expedition enable
global view of oceans
56
who was John Murray
father of modern oceanography
57
what is sonar do
detecting/measuring objects, distance, depth underwater
58
what is a HOV
human occupied vehicle
manned underwater vehicle
59
what is a ROV
remotely operated vehicle
tethered robots - can be controlled from surface or HOV
60
what is a AUV
autonomous underwater vehicle
no real time contact
61
what is differential heating
tropics have more heating per unit area, less towards poles
62
how is surplus heat energy transferred from tropics transferred to higher latitudes
atmosphere and oceans
63
what are the surface wind cells (pole -> equator)
polar, ferrel, Hadley
64
what way does corialis effect move air to in nothern/souther hemisphere
N: to right
S: to left
65
what are the winds (poles -> equator)
polar easterlies, westerlies, Tradewinds (easterlies)
66
what are the areas of little wind (with degrees)
60: polar front
30: horse latitude
0: doldrums (intertropical convergence zone)
67
what is a gyre
large system of rotating ocean currents
68
what way to Tradewinds push water
to right
69
what way do westerlies push water
to left
70
what do western boundary currents do
bring warm water toward north
71
what do eastern boundary currents do
bring cool water down towards tropics
72
what is the largest current
antarctic circumpolar
73
what is ekmon transport
surface water are moved by force of the wind, they in turn drag deeper layers of water creating a spiral
74
what is seawater density affected by
salinity and temperature
75
what is a thermocline
layer of water where temp changes rapidly with depth
76
what is a wave
A flow of energy
77
what is a capillary wave
small volume of water displaced
restoring force = surface tension
78
what is a gravity wave
restoring foce = gravity
79
what do deep wave height increase with
wind speed
duration
fetch (distance wins can travel uninterrupted)
80
what is a progressive wave (swell)
generated by wave
restored by gravity
progress in single direction
81
what is a rogue wave
at least 2x significant wave height
82
what kind of beach are spilling breakers on
horizontal beach
83
what kind of beach are plunging breakers on
steep beach
84
what are tides caused by
gravitational attraction of moon and centrifugal force
85
what is a spring tide
higher/lower tide than normal
86
when is largest spring tide
equinox
87
what is a neap tide and what causes it
change in tides is really low
sun and moon at right angle
88
what do tidal cycles depend on
geography of shoreline, depth of shoreline, etc...
89
what is a slack tide
tide fully up/down = no current
90
what is a euphotic zone
depth that light reaches
91
what is an amphidomic zone
no tide (tidal range = 0)
92
where is the main places that dense water is formed for deep water circulation
greenland sea, weddell sea (antarctic)
93
what does the ocean conveyor belt do
transport of heat around globe, o2 to deep water, nutrients to surface
94
what is primary production
rate of formation of energy rich organic compounds from inorganic compounds
95
what is gross primary production (GPP)
growth + respiration
total amount of organic material fixed
96
what is net primary production (NPP)
= growth
GPP left to support other trophic levels after loss due to respiration
97
what is the biological carbon pump
set of processes by which inorganic carbon (CO2) is fixed into organic matter via photosynthesis and then sequestered away from atmosphere, generally by transport into deep ocean
98
what are the divisions of the ocean
pelagic realm: area of open water divided up vertically based on light penetration/depth
benthic realm: on sea bottom
99
what are the divisions of the benthic realm
littoral zone: regions between high and low tides
sublittoral zone: below low tide mark
100
what is plankton
general term for organisms with limited locomotion powers + move with currents
101
what were the first organisms to photosynthesize
cyanobacteria
102
where are diatoms dominant
temperate/polar waters
103
where are dinoflagellates dominant
tropical/subtropical
104
what are red tides
caused by explosive population growth of dinoflagellates (sometimes diatoms), deplete oxygen and lead to toxic blooms
105
what do coccolithophores produce
Ca carbonate plates called coccoliths that cover cell structure called cocosphere
106
what happens when cocolithophores die
they sink to bottom and ooze, chalk cliffs
107
what limits primary production
light (depth)
nutrients (N,P,Fe and/or silica)
108
what is Liebig's law (law of the minimum)
states that growth should be limited by most deficient nutrient
109
why isn't algae a plant
no vascular system or roots
absorb h2o directly from ocean
leaves arent leaves (no veins)
110
how do macro algae reproduce
1. zoospores are formed in sporangia by a large multicellular sporophyte
2. spores settle on seafloor and develop into male/female gametophytes
3. male and female gametophytes produce sperm/oogenia (make eggs)
4. sperm fertilizes egg, a sporophyte is formed
111
what mainly governed macro algae distribution
by light and temperature
112
what is a compensation depth
depth at which daily/seasonal amount of light is enough for photosynthesis to supply algal metabolic needs with nothing left for growth
deepest depth where you can find macro algae
113
what happens above compensation depth (in regards to macro algae)
factors like waves, availability of nutrients, tidal exposure effect where algal species are distributed
114
what is coenocytic growth
individual is made up of a single multinucleated cell
115
where is green algae mainly found
freshwater
116
what defences did green algae evolve
CaCO3 in cells require herbivores to have strong jaws to cut
toxins that keep herbivores away
117
where are red algae primarily found
primarily marine
118
how many multicellular stages does red algae have
3 (most have 2)
119
do red algal have flagella
no
120
what are defences that red algae evolved
CaCO3 in cell walls
small size, rapid growth
grow in crevices (harder to eat)
(dont make toxins)
121
how does red algae play role in reef consolidation
red corralline algae precipates CaCO3 and help cement loose bits of coral
122
what have fertilization experiments have shown about the addition of Fe to increase surface waters
increase primary productivity and plankton biomass
123
what is the main nitrogenous compound used by primary produces
nitrate
124
where is productivity highest and why
in continental margins and shallow seas
because upwelling transports nutrients to the surface, nutrient runoff from land
125
what area of ocean is frequently nutrient poor, why
euphotic zone
because depleted by algal uptake
126
what areas of euphotic zone have highest nutrient density
in upwelling currents
127
where is brown algae usually found
marine environments
128
what is brown algae's cell wall composed of
cellulose and alginate
129
what strategies do brown algae have to keep upright
bladders
thick flexible stipes
130
what is the brown algae that creates floating environments
sargasso
131
where do sea grasses grow
intertidal and subtidal
132
how many times did sea grasses invade seas
4
133
134
where are there more sea grass seas
temperate regions
and pacific (since pacific basin is oldest)
135
what is the function of aerenchyma in sea grasses
gas exchange and buoyancy (helps leaves stay upright so all sides of leaf are exposed to sun)
136
why dont sea grasses have stomata
since under water so oxygen concentration is too low
137
how do sea grasses reproduce
sexually
use rhizomes for vegetative growth
138
are salt marsh plants more or less adapted to life underwater
less
need to be exposed to air
139
what are epiphytes/epizoics
organisms that grow on algae/plants/animals
140
where are mangroves
tropical only
141
what part of mangroves are underwater
only roots
142
how do mangroves deal with salt
- shedding of old leaves (too salty)
- salt exclusions at roots
- salt glands ( excrete salts onto leaves, then either washes off or leaves fall off)
- hypersaline salt confined to xylem
143
what kind of roots do mangroves have
aerial roots
pneumatophores
144
what is net community production (NCP)
= GPP - respiration by autotrophs and heterotrophs
145
what is net primary production (NPP)
= GPP - respiration by autotrophs
146
what is the other way to measure pp (not the chemical formula)
biomass of phytoplankton = amount of chlorophyll / weight of organic C in phytoplankton
147
what are the methods of measuring PP
- O2: light/dark bottle method
- C14 method
- Biomass: Chlorophyll fluorescence
- Biomass: Chlorophyll remote sensing
148
what do the light and dark bottles represent (separate and together)
light: net pp (delta o2 = O2 produced - o2 used)
dark: respiration (delta o2 = o2 used)
together = Gross PP
149
what are the problems with the light/dark bottle method
[O2] ≠ C assimilation
- bottle = ocean ?
- respiration by non- phytoplankton
- phytoplankton growth in light bottle
150
what issues does C14 method have
bottle = ocean ?
uptake of C12 = uptake of C14?
151
what is the disadvantage of Chl remote sensing
only getting surface PP
152
what are the key factors controlling PP
light: available in upper 200m
nutrients: used up in shallows, available deeper
stability: to allow algal growth in surface layer
mixing: bring nutrients from deep to shallow
153
what are the trends in PP in tropical regions
- high irradiance
- permanent stratification
- low nutrients
- constant, low productivity
154
what are the trends in PP in polar regions
- low irradiance
- high mixing
- high nutrients
- low productivity with one peak
155
what are the trends in PP in temperate regions
- seasonally high irradiance
- seasonal stratification
- seasonal mixing
seasonal peaks
156
what are the trends in PP in oceanic gyres
- high irradiance
- high stratification
- low productivity (pushing down prevents nutrients from coming up)
157
why are we not drowning in phytoplankton
mechanisms to bring carbon produced down to bottom of ocean (ex: marine snow)
grazing, aggregate formation, zooplankton/fish vertical migration
158
what is the carbon pump
set of processes which inorganic C (CO2) is fixed into organic matter via photosynthesis and then is sequestered away from atmosphere generally by transport into deep ocean
