Semester 1 Final Flashcards
Main parameters for measuring water quality
temperature - thermometer
pH - pH strip/scale
visibility/turbidity - secchi disk
oxygen concentration - oxygen meter
salinity - refractometer
hydrogen bonds
creates strong cohesion between water molecules, caused by water’s polarity
cohesion
the attraction of molecules for other molecules of the same kind; water molecules have strong cohesive forces thanks to their ability to form hydrogen bonds with one another.
pH of Ocean Water
enzymes and chemical reactions for metabolism functions only in a narrow pH range, in which they otherwise become de-natured
Dissolvability and transport of gases and ions across membranes greatly affected by pH
Biological structure such as bone shells affected by pH
sources of ions in ocean water
positive ions: from rock and soil erosion
negative ions: from magma(volcanoes/rain)
depth’s affect on colors
Violet, yellow, orange, red wavelengths don’t penetrate deep enough into the water to reflect off objects
Pressure under water
increases in seawater one atmosphere every 10 meters
BOYLE’S LAW - when pressure on a gas increases, its volume decreases
pH scale
acids are 0-6, neutral is 7, 8-14 is alkaline.
Acids have more H3O+ ions, while bases have more OH- ions
Nitrogen’s significance
essential nutrient for organisms, especially plant nutrition, part of amino acids, nitrogenous bases, ATP
limits population size in most ecosystems
Nitrogen cycle
nitrogen fixation - legumes fix into ammonia
nitrification - chemical reaction done by archaea and bacteria
ammonification - chemical reaction done by archaea and bacteria
assimilation-used in environment
denitrification-goes back into atmosphere
eutrophication
nutrients washed into water, causing algae blooms occur, algae grow on water surface absorbing all the light and oxygen, cynobacteria eat the algae
caused by nitrogen runoff from fertilizer, sewage, and animal waste, nitrogen causes algae bloom that later dies and decomposes using all oxygen making water anoxic - toxic to fish and habitats
excess nitrogen in plants
thickened and sometimes cupped leaves with atypically deep green color. Overfertilization can cause leaves to turn brown, gray, dark green, or yellow at margins and tips or overall. Affected foliage may wilt temporarily or die and drop prematurely.
eutrophication solutions
oyster farming(oysters filter water, filtering water by eating algae) + upgrading septic systems + using less fertilizer
bow, stern, port, starboard
front, back, left, right
all used in relation to ship’s bow
hull
watertight body of the ship, which provides buoyancy and protects the contents of the ship. It’s essentially the main body of the ship that keeps it afloat.
keel
backbone of the ship’s structure, running along the center of the hull bottom from the bow to the stern. It provides stability and prevents the ship from tipping over.
deck
The ‘deck’ is the top of the ship, which serves as the roof of the hull.
bridge
where the captain and the navigation officers control the ship. It’s equipped with a plethora of navigational tools, communication equipment, and control systems.
knot
unit of speed used in aviation and maritime contexts, equivalent to one nautical mile per hour. It’s worth noting that a nautical mile is slightly longer than a land-based mile.
draft
vertical distance between the waterline and the lowest point of the hull.
rudder
flat piece of metal or wood, hinged vertically at the stern, which controls the ship’s steering direction.
propeller
often found near the rudder, a rotating device that propels the ship through the water.
mast
tall, vertical pole that rises from the deck, traditionally used to support sails, rigging, and navigation lights.
boom
the horizontal pole extending from the bottom of the mast, which angles the sail to catch the wind.
gunnel
the outermost top edge of a boat hull, usually where the deck and hull come together.
freeboard
the distance between the waterline and the main deck or weather deck of a ship or between the level of the water and the upper edge of the side of a small boat
titanic
Royal Mail ship built Belfast Island
Left Southampton, England to NYC in April 1912, carrying 2224 passengers, weighing 46,000 tons, equipped with state of the art tech
4 days into trip hit iceberg off coast of Newfoundland, 1500 passengers died
possible causes for Titanic sink
- travelling too fast
- radio operator dismissed iceberg warning
- ship may have taken wrong term, lack of terminology awareness
- titanic’s builders cut costs, rivets not strong enough
- mirages caused by atmospheric conditions hid iceberg
- no binoculars were on ship
- lack of lifeboats left a lot of people dead
sonar
uses transmitter that emits soundwaves that reach ocean floor and bounce back, received by receiver, information interpreted by transducer
active sonar vs passive sonar
passive sonar only detects sounds while active sonar uses transmitter to make sound waves, measuring time for them to return
Bathymetric sonar
active sonar used to map seafloor and detect objects in watercolumn or along seafloor
gathers distance from seafloor, shape, and type of sea floor
seismic sonar
active sonar determining what is under seafloor - rock layers, tectonic plate, often used for oil searching
side scan sonar
used to determine what is on the bottom of the seafloor, towed behind vessel, and close to bottom of the ocean
used for identifying objects on bottom of ocean
buoyancy
ability to float in water, determined if objects displace water with higher mass then object(less dense than water)
AUV(automated underwater vehicle)
not tethered, battery powered, preg-programmed, used to measure water quality, bathymetric data, can be smaller and go deeper bc of no human inside, challenging to make to withstand pressure and locate after resurfacing, “swarming” work together to help navigate, can be free with no risk of human life, but can’t collect samples, only sonar, no communication, batteries decide how long it runs
ROV(remotely operated vehicle)
tethered, tether powered, controlled by projection, long run times, inexpensive, no risk to human life, but limited mobility and less range
HOV(human operated vehicle)
not tethered, battery-powered when small, engine when large, control is present, high mobility and range, but batteries and humans limit run time
earth’s layers
core - hot center with melted nickel and iron and radioactive elements that decay and produce heat
mantle - magma
asthenosphere - molten liquid layer on which crust moves
lithosphere - plates sliding around
crust - brittle layer of rock
convcection currents
generated by magma move continental plates
convergent plate boundary
an area on Earth where two or more lithospheric plates collide
divergent plate boundary
linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other
transform plate boundary
fault along a plate boundary where the motion is predominantly horizontal
oceanic crust will always subduct continental because
continental crust thicker but less dense than Oceanic Crust
oceanic crust
uppermost layer of the oceanic portion of the tectonic plates
continental crust
the relatively thick part of the earth’s crust that forms the large landmasses. It is generally older and more complex than the oceanic crust.
subduction
the sideways and downward movement of the edge of a plate of the earth’s crust into the mantle beneath another plate
convection
The density- and heat-driven cycling, transfer or circulation of energy through which material initially warms up and becomes relatively less dense, then rises, cools and becomes relatively more dense, and finally sinks.
earth’s continents are thought to have been once one called Pangea because of
puzzle like shapes and specific fossils found across oceans on different continents at same latitude
Continental margin made up of
cont. shelf
cont. slope
cont. rise
continental shelf
shallow submerged extension of continents, made of granite, covered by sediment, slopes gently to ocean basin but generally flat, width relates to slope of land it borders
The West Coast has a narrow shelf(bigger waves) while the east coast has a wide shelf
continental slope
transition between cont. shelf+rise, begins at shelf’s break, abrupt change in landscape, contains less sediment
continental rise
gentle slope of base of cont. slope
submarine canyone
similar to on land, caused by river systems on earth, formed by turbidity currents, sediment and water erode slope and gain speed as sweep down. also caused by earthquakes of sediment collapses
ocean basin
floor of ocean, covering more of earth’s surface than land, composed of basalite rock covered by sediments
abyssal plain
bottom of ocean basins, flat expanse, formed by sediment deposited by turbidity currents, covering %40 of ocean floor
guyots
flat topped sea mounts eroded by currents
sea mounts
steep sided formation rising sharply from bottom, formed from underwater volcanoes, mostly in Pacific
ridges and rises
divergent plate boundaries form series of large, underwater volcanic mountains, running through every ocean, stretching 68,000km, site of seafloor spreading
trenches
convergent plate boundary where seafloor is being destroyed, usually associated with chains of volcanic islands
mariana trench
deepest trench on earth, deepest spot 7 miles down
biogenous sediment
shells of plankton
lithogenous sediment
made from chemical and mechanical weathering of rocks on land
hydrothermal vents
In 1977, scientists diving in HOV Alvin made a stunning discovery: openings in the Pacific Ocean seafloor with warm, chemical-rich fluids flowing out. Later trips revealed previously unknown organisms and entire ecosystems around the vents, thriving in the absence of sunlight–a phenomenon that scientists didn’t think was possible. These discoveries fundamentally changed our understanding of life on Earth.
Like hot springs and geysers on land, hydrothermal vents form in volcanically active areas—often on mid-ocean ridges, where Earth’s tectonic plates are spreading apart. In these areas, magma wells up to the surface or just below the seafloor. As ocean water percolates down through cracks and porous rocks, the super-hot magma causes chemical reactions that remove oxygen, magnesium, sulfates, and other chemicals from the water. In the process, the fluids become hotter and more acidic, causing them to leach metals such as iron, zinc, copper, lead, and cobalt from the surrounding rocks. The heated fluids rise back to the surface through openings in the seafloor, known as hydrothermal vents. The fluid temperatures can reach 400°C (750°F) or more, but they do not boil under the extreme pressure of the deep ocean.
As they pour out of a vent, the fluids encounter cold, oxygenated seawater, causing another, more rapid series of chemical reactions to occur. Sulfur and other solids precipitate–or come out of solution–to form metal-rich towers and deposits of minerals on the seafloor–some reaching over 30 feet (10 meters) tall! These minerals sometimes are visible in the gushing fluid, which is why some hydrothermal vents are called white or black “smokers.”
hydrothermal vent communities
depend on chemosynthetic bacteria that convert hydrogen sulfide and other chemicals in the vent fluids into sugar for energy. These “chemosynthetic” bacteria provide food for larger organisms such as tubeworms, shrimp, and mussels.
photosynthesis vs chemosynthesis
Photosynthesis occurs in plants and some bacteria, wherever there is sufficient sunlight, be it on land, in shallow water, or even inside and below clear ice. All photosynthetic organisms use solar energy to turn carbon dioxide and water into sugar (food) and oxygen: CO2 + 6H2O -> C6H12O6 + 6O2.
Chemosynthesis occurs in bacteria and other organisms and involves the use of energy released by inorganic chemical reactions to produce food. All chemosynthetic organisms use energy released by chemical reactions to make a sugar, but different species use different pathways. For example, at hydrothermal vents, vent bacteria oxidize hydrogen sulfide, add carbon dioxide and oxygen, and produce sugar, sulfur, and water: CO2 + 4H2S + O2 -> CH20 + 4S + 3H2O. Other bacteria make organic matter by reducing sulfide or oxidizing methane.
