OSX-1005 tom lectures Flashcards
what is earth the only planet on the solar system to have on it’s surface
liquid water
what % of the earth’s surface is covered in water
71% of the earth’s surface is covered in water
where is the oceans water stored
96% in oceans 2.9% in ice and snow 1.0% underground water surface water 0.02% atmosphere 0.001%
how is river input in the northern hemisphere compared to the southern hemisphere
river input is larger in the northern hemisphere compared to that of the southern hemisphere
does melting of sea ice cause sea level to rise
melting of sea ice does not cause sea levels to rise due to Archimedes principle
name two factors that cause sea levels to rise
addition of extra water to the ocean
warming of the ocean
how can extra water be added to the ocean
by the melting of land ice
how does the warming of the ocean cause sea levels to rise
warmer water is less dense than cold water as the same mass of water occupies a larger volume
so sea levels rise
what is the oil and gas we burn today
the oil and gas we burn today is carbon that has been fixed by ancient plankton
what is the current CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and how much has it risen by the last 50 years
currently 400ppm
risen by 85ppm in the last 50 years
what would the atmospheric CO2 concentration be without ocean biology
it would be 200ppm higher without ocean biology
what is the average depth and max depth of the Atlantic ocean
average depth 3330m
max depth 9144m
name 3 special features of the Atlantic ocean
stretches from the arctic to the Antarctic
the gulf stream/ Atlantic gyres
gulf of Mexico / Caribbean sea(2% sa)
Extensive continental shelf seas
what is the function of the gulf stream
it carries heat across the atlantic
warming the atmosphere
what do the ocean currents link
the oceans current link the ocean basins(thermohaline circulation)
what is the role of the ocean during storms
the ocean is a major heat source powering storms
what is specific heat capacity of water
the energy required to raise the temperature of 1kg of water by 1 degrees Celsius
what is thermal expansion of sea water
as seawater is warmed it expands
so the same mass occupies a greater volume
so density decreases as sea water is warmed
how will a change to salinity affect sea water density
it will change the density as it changes the mass in the same volume
name 3 ways you can change the salinity of sea water
add fresh water
formation of sea ice
evaporation
what is a gravity
a natural phenomena by which objects attract each with force proportional to their masses
how does the moon’s gravitation act on the earth
the moon’s gravitation force on earth acts on all parts of the earth
what is the strength of the gravitational force proportional to
the strength of the gravitational force is proportional to the inverse square of the distance of the moon
where will the ocean bulge
directly under the moon where the earth-moon distance is shortest and so force is strongest
why are there two tides in a day
moon gravity 1st bulge
centrifugal force 2nd bulge
where are tide’s formed
where there is a significant difference in the moon’s gravitational attraction
