Test 1 Flashcards
Biomagnification
Concentrations of toxins
Chemosynthesis
the synthesis of organic compounds within an organism
Density
The degree of compactness of a substance
Desalination
Process that removes minerals from saline water.
Homeostasis
The tendency of an organism or a cell to regulate its internal conditions
Ph scale
Measure of acidity or alkalinity of water soluble substances
What are abiotic factors?
Nonliving or never living things
Pressure
Physical force exhorted by an object
Salinity
Concentration of dissolved salts in water
Specific heat
Heat required to raise a temperature by a unit mass
Thermocline
Steep temperature gradient in a body of water
What percentage of freshwater on earth is available for us to drink?
0.007%
What process in the water cycle changes the water from a liquid to a gas?
Evaporation and transportation
Which property of water is essential for life?
Moderate climate temperature
What does waters high specific heat maintain?
Your metabolism, homeotasious
Explain why ice floats on water
Less dense and expands
Where do gases increase and decrease in the ocean? How are gases distributed?
From currents
What type of water can hold more dissolved gases?
Cold, salty water
What causes supersaturation? What returns it to superstation levels?
Abundance of plants, the waves, atmosphere
What is turbulence? What does it increase?
Water movement, increases the amount of gases that dissolved in water
Which organism uses nitrogen directly?
Bacteria
Which process produces carbon dioxide and uses carbon dioxide?
Photosynthesis
Which process produces carbon dioxide and uses oxygen
Cellular respiration, decomposition
What is the compensation depth?
The depth at which the photosynthesis rate is the same as the plant respiration rate
What is the level of dissolved oxygen in seawater?
0-10ppm
What type of water is stagnant with no oxygen? Which organisms can live there?
Arerobic anaerobes
What causes less carbon dioxide in the ocean?
Too high of a temperature and salinity
What does rising carbon dioxide levels cause in the ocean?
Increase water temperature
What are the uses of carbon dioxide to marine organisms?
Calcium carbonate d+e
What is a buffer?
Stop sudden pH changes
What does bacteria convert nitrogen into?
Ammonia, nitrates, nitrites
Where did the original salts in the oceans come from?
Volcanic activity run off
What are the units for salinity?
Amount of salts in water, parts per thousand
What is the average salinity in oceans?
35
What are sea salt? Is it safe to harvest them?
Crystal salts, No
What five process increase salinity in water?
Evaporation, freezing, run off/currents, Low freshwater, landlocked seas
What is the difference between saltwater and freshwater freezing point?
Salt water = lower freezing point
What four processes delete salinity in saltwater?
Precipitation, melting, river flow, runoff
What is the principles of constant proportion?
The proportions of ions in sea water remains the same no matter what the salinity
CTD
Temperature/ conductivity
Salinometer
It uses conductivity
Refractometer
Bonding of light
What two water proportions affect density?
Mass/volume
Chlorinity
Principle of constant proportion
What is desalination
Remover of salt water into drinking water
What process contributes to the nitrogen cycle?
Bacteria
How does bacteria convert nitrogen into nitrogen compounds?
Ammonia, bacteria, add oxygen
What are nitrates a product of?
Pollution and bacteria
What do we use nitrates for?
Fertilizer for plants
What happens when too many nitrates enter the water?
Can cause algae blooms that block sunlight
How does oil pollution spread so rapidly?
Currents
Three affects of oil pollution:
Hurtful to animals etc
What is biomagnification
The concentration of toxic chemicals increases as they move higher up the food chain
What problems arize from dumping chemicals in the ocean?
They get ingested by animals and block sunlight
How does temperature limit distribution of ocean life?
It affects density, salinity, dissolved gasses etc
How does rising atmosphere temperature affect the oceans?
Decrease salinity, salt water has lower freezing point
What is the thermocline?
A physical barrier
What does a thermocline cause?
The mixture of the upper and lower levels of water
What are the examples of endothermic organisms
Snake, fish, lizard etc
What is the only predictable parameter in water?
Pressure
What does one atmosphere equal?
14.7 LB/IN
How does the pressure increase in the ocean?
Increase 1 atm for each 10m of depth
How far have scuba divers gotten?
180 meters
What is an air embolism? How can they be prevented?
Air bubbles, should ascend 30 feet per minute
What is “rapture of the deep”
Nitrogen causes euphoric feelings at depth
How does “the bends occur”?
Ascends too quickly
What is the result of the bends?
Crippling, pain in joints
Which color is absorbed the fastest in water and why?
Red because it’s the longest wavelength
How does this affect the ocean color?
Blue green light transmits to a depth 200m
What is the euphotic zone?
Where light can be found
How do objects appear in water?
Closer or bigger
What is the speed of sound in water relation to air?
15-29 meters per second, 4 times faster
