Marine Science: Oceanography

What Is Prebiotic Evolution?

Evolution before life existed

What Did The Primitive Atmosphere Contain?

• Carbon Dioxide CO2

• Methane CH4

• Nitrates NH3

• Hydrogen H

• Nitrogen N

• Water Vapor H2O

which left almost no room for Oxygen.

What Are Sources of Energy?

• Heat from light

• gravitational compression

• radioactivity

• electricity

What Were The Earliest Living Cells And When Did They Arise?

Arose around 3.5 billion years ago and were prokaryotic or cyanobacteria

What is Cyanobacteria?

Most important to evolution. Is a blueish green algae.

When Did O2 Appear?

2.2 billion years ago.

What Is The Endosymbiotic Theory?

The theory in which larger cells ate smaller ones and instead of digesting them, they gave them specific jobs. Ex: skin cells, stomach cells, etc.

What Are The Advantages Of Multicellular Design?

• Resistance to predation

• Can sustain some cellular damage

• More effective predator

• Specialization (skin cells, eye cells)

• Increased mass = lower SA:V ratio

• Attain speed

When Did The Skeleton Appear And How Long After Did It Take For Fish To Form?

500 million years ago the skeleton was formed and 100 million years after or 400 million years ago fish appeared.

When Did The Last Dinosaur Go Extinct

65 million years ago.

When Did Homo Sapiens Appear?

200,000 years ago.

When Did Homo Sapiens Sapiens Appear?

90,000 to 100,000 years ago.

How Is Life Unique

• Organization varies

• Only present on Earth

• Life begets life

• Resilient (live in any habitat)

• Evolution

How Is Life Unified?

• Require water

• Based on carbon chemistry

• Use 22 amino acids to build protein

• Cell structure is the same (excluding viruses)

• DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid

When Did The Big Bang Happen?

Approximately 15 billion years ago.

When Was The Sun Created?

5 billion years ago.

When Were The Planets Created?

4.6 billion years ago.

What Is A Natural Phenomenon?

An observable event in nature not influenced by humans.

What Is The Power Of Science?

• It is testable

• Always get the same results

• Evidence can be expanded on (Technology, Chemicals)

• Models: visual, linguistic, mathematical

What Do You Need To Do To Prove Something?

• Observation

• Evidence

• Hypothesis

• Theory

• Law/ Principle

What Are The Limitations Of Science

Science cannot answer questions of morality, value, or the supernatural because those cannot be tested.

What Is The Role Of Scientific Evidence?

Scientific evidence is evidence that serves to either support of counter a theory or hypothesis.

What Are Natural Sciences?

The study of natural things. Ex: biology, astronomy, marine science, etc.

What Are Social Sciences?

The Study of human things. Ex: criminology, business, politics, etc.

What Is a Polar Molecule?

A molecule that has a positive and negative side.

What Is The Boiling Point Of Water?

100 degrees Celsius.

What Is The Freezing Point Of Water?

0 degrees Celsius.

Pure Water Is…

Odorless, colorless, and tasteless.

What Percent Of A Cell Is Water?

70%

How Much Of Earth Is Covered In Water?

2/3rds or more

Where Do Solids That Dissolved In The Sea Come From?

They come from the weathering of rocks and Earth’s interior.

What Is Density?

The size and mass of molecules.

What Is Latent Heat?

The amount of heat needed to melt a substance.

What Is A Universal Solvent?

A substance that can dissolve more things than any other substance, aka water.

What Is Atmospheric Pressure? ATM

The force exerted on a surface by the weight of the air above.

What Is 1 ATM In PSI?

14.7 PSI

How Deep Do You Have To Go To Have Another Atmosphere Of Pressure On Top Of You?

10 meters or 33 feet

What Color Are Oceans Most Transparent To?

Blue wavelength of light

What Are Wavelengths Of Light Measured In?

Nanometers (nm)

What Is Visible Spectrum?

The range of light that the human eye can detect. Our optimal sensitivity is in the green region.

What Are The Four Parts Of The Water Cycle In Order?

1. Evaporation

2. Condensation

3. Precipitation

4. Collection

What Is Thermocline?

A steep temperature gradient in a body of water. It goes Epilimnion, Thermocline, then Hypolimnion.

What Is The Densest Water Can Be?

4 degrees Celsius

Dissolved Oxygen: Sources

• Diffusion is enhanced by mixing which increases volume of water.

• Oxygen diffuses through surface.

• Marine life contributes through photosynthesis.

• When light intensity surpasses the surface water compensation O2 release during photosynthesis = amount used in respiration.

• Animals and plants contribute a large amount of dissolved O2 to their marine habitats.

Dissolved Oxygen: Amount

• The warmer the water the less O2 it can hold.

• As salinity increased the amount of O2 is can hold decreases.

• There is less O2 in higher elevations because air is less dense there.

• Dissolved O2 in water is 2/3rds less at sea level.

• Marine life all contribute to removing O2 from marine habitats during respiration.

Dissolved Oxygen: Animal Responses

• Animals living in low O2 areas must adapt to their situation.

• Benthic organisms close up shop until the threat of low O2 passes.

• Marine life that can swim has the ability to move away from areas of low O2.

• O2 removed by decomposition isn’t replaced by the convective exchange.

• Marine animals can do well in air if their gills stay damp.

Dissolved Oxygen: Stratification

• Anything that creates stratification of water in various bodies can emphasize problems cause by low dissolved O2.

• Black Sea has pretty much no O2 under 220m.

• Large amounts of CO2 or hydrogen sulfide are toxic and can build up in the lower layers of stratified systems.

• Cameroon had a problem where bottom waters of a lake were brought to the surface and released a lot of CO2 into the air.

• Large amounts of rainfall better estuarine stratification.

Dissolved Oxygen

• Can be measured by the dissolved oxygen electrode (DO meter).

• Some test kits are chemical analysis based (Winkler’s method).

• The LaMotte kit reads in parts per million.

• Measurements can be used to study respiration and photosynthesis in marine organism.

• Marine animals are sensitive when the temperature increase.

What Is Salinity?

The number of grams of dissolved matter in a sample of 1000 grams of water. This is usually measured in parts per thousand (ppt%)

What Is The Range Of Salinity In Sea Water?

30-41%

What Are The Factors That Affect Salinity?

• Temperature (cold water holds less solutes)

• Circulation

• Evaporation rates

• Precipitation levels

What Is Salination Of Water?

A double sided arrow means the equation can go both directions.

1. CO2 (carbon dioxide) + H20 (water) ← → H2CO3 (carbonic acid)

2. H2CO3 (carbonic acid) ←→ (H+) + (CO3-) (carbonate)

3. Ca + CO3 (carbonate) ←→ CaCO3 (calcium carbonate)

What Is A Refractometer?

A tool that gives direct information about salinity.

What Is A Salinometer?

A tool that measures the amount of salt dissolved in a sample.

What Is A Hydrometer?

A tool that is used to determine the specific gravity of density of fluids.

How Much Of The Surface Is Water?

70%

Continental Shelf

• #1

• Most shallow part of the continental margin.

• Fishing, oil rigs.

Continental Slope

• #2

• Closest to the exact edge of the continent

• Very steep

• Responsible for unique events

Abyssal Plain

• #3

• Almost flat region of the sea floor

• Dead plants

Reef

• #4

• Massive

• Near shore deposit of coral skeletal materials.

• Live coral as well

• Below surface

• Warm water only

• Lots of limestone

Sea Mount

• #5

• Submarine volcanoes are found here

• Usually near the shore line

Ocean Ridge

• #6

• Ridges are found before a drop off

• The drop off is the trench

• Spreads the continents

Trench

• #7

• Narrow

• Deep depression in sea floor

• Pacific ocean

• Earthquakes

• Volcanoes

What Is The Hydrosphere?

All water present on Earth

What Is The Largest Ocean And It’s Average Depth?

The Pacific ocean and an average depth of 4188m

What Are Somethings That Can Be Found On The Ocean Floor?

• Sunken ships

• Planes

• Garbage

• Manmade reefs

What Are Turbidity Flows?

Flows of mud under water

What Is A Tsunami?

Large, rogue waves caused by earthquakes

What Is Gyre?

• Large circular system of surface currents made by wind patterns and the Coriolis effect.

• Warm currents = west side of Gyres which carry solar heat from the equator to higher altitudes.

• Cold currents = east side of Gyres

What Are The Functions Of Circulation?

• Dispersal of food and nutrients

• Create uniform salinity and temperature regimes

• Spread reproductive products

• Flush waste products

• Create land forms

What Is The High Point Of A Wave Called?

Crest

What Is The Low Point Of A Wave Called?

Trough

What Is The Distance Between Waves Called?

A wavelength

What Is Fetch?

The distance of contact

What Are Trade Winds Bent By?

The Coriolis Effect

Winds Approach The Equator At What Angle?

45 degree angle

Objects Are Deflected To What Side In The Northern Hemisphere?

Right

Objects Are Deflected To What Side In The Southern Hemisphere?

Left

What Are The Warm Surface Ocean Currents?

• Agulhas Current

• Alaska Current

• Brazil Current

• East Australian Current

• Gulf Stream

• Kuroshio (Japan) Current

• North Atlantic Drift/ Irminger

What Are The Cool Surface Ocean Currents?

• Benguela Current

• California Current

• Canaries Current

• Humboldt (Peru) Current

• Labrador/ Greenland Current

• Oyashio (Kamchatka) Current

• West Australian Current

What Are The Locational Surface Ocean Currents?

• Equitorial Current

• North Pacific Drift

• West Wind Drift

• Pacific

• North Pacific

• South Pacific

What Are The Other Surface Ocean Current Locations?

• Antarctic subpolar

• Antarctic Circumpolar

• Southern Oceans

• Northern Oceans

A Current’s Flow Can Be Affected By?

• Wind

• The water’s salinity

• Heat content (density)

• Bottom topography

• The position of continents

• The Earth’s rotation (Coriolis effect)

What Direction Is Water Deflected In The Northern Hemisphere?

Clockwise

What Direction Is Water Deflected In The Southern Hemisphere?

Counter-clockwise

What Do Upwellings Do?

They stir the oceans and bring nutrients that have settled in the deep water back to the surface, providing a rich source of nutrients for marine organisms.

What Is Pangea?

The supercontinent that existed before the continents we know now split apart.

What is Climate Change?

When long term averages of weather change/ changes in weather patterns over a long time (decades)

How Can Changing Ocean Temperatures Affect Aquatic Populations?

It will cause populations to die off causing less survival and variety.

How Does changing Frequency Of Weather Phenomena Influence Social/ Economical Activities?

It influences them poorly by flooding farmers fields, delays shipping of goods, and damages food and money sources.

What Are Some Natural Phenomena That Affect Climate Change?

• Solar Radiation

• Variations of Earth’s orbit

• Reflectablility of atmosphere

• Light

• PH level

What Are Some Human Factors That Affect Climate Change?

• Fossil fuel emissions

• CO2 emissions

• Deforestation

• Garbage

• Land Use

Who Is Charles Darwin?

The guy who created the Theory of Evolution. He was also on the 5 year voyage of the HMS Beagle.

What Was The HMS Beagle?

A Voyage that began on December 27th, 1831 that lasted 5 years. Darwin studied geology while aboard and his specimens where sent to Cambridge.

What Was Darwin’s Theory Of Evolution Based On?

• Variation

• Competition

• Offspring

• Genetics

• Natural selection

What Is Evolution?

The change in inherited traits of a population of organisms through successive genreations.

What Is Natural Selection?

The process in which heritable traits that make it more likely for an organism to survive and successfully reproduce become more common.

What Was The Challenger Expedition, 1872?

An Expedition where scientists discovered over 4,000 previously unknown species.

What Are Hydrothermal Vents?

A fissure in a planet’s surface from which geothermally heated water issues. They are commonly found near volcanically places and may form features called black smokers.

What Was The Titanic?

A ship that was known to be unsinkable that sank after hitting an iceberg on April 15th, 1912. It was found after many years by a camera on September 1st, 1985.