Salinity Flashcards
What is Salinity?
a measure of the quality of dissolved salts in seawater
What is PPT?
unit used by scientists to describe the salinity of the ocean
What is the average ocean salinity of the ocean
35 0/00
What are conservative constituents?
more than 1 ppt
What are non- conservative constituents?
concentrations less than 1 ppt (trace elements)
What are sources of salt?
river runoff
What is the regulation of salts?
the rate of addition of salts must be balamced by the removal of salts?
What are the sources of regulation?
sea spray,
evaporation,
chemical reactions
biologiucal processes
absorbtion
What is residence time?
mean length of time that a substance remains in solution in the ocean
What is the equation of residence time?
total amount of iron in the ocean / rate of supply or removal
When is residence time shorter than in oceans?
in rivers
What is the principle of constant propositions?
ratios between the major constituent ions in seawater frmain constant regardless of total salinity
What is density?
mass per unit volume of a substance
What is density impacted by?
Pressure
temperature
salinity
What is the effect of pressure on density?
pressure increases 14.7 lbs inch-2 for every 33ft increase in depth (10m)