OCS 3103 Exam 2

bed load

large/ heavy particles that travel along stream bed

traction load

large particles that roll/slide along stream bed

saltation load

medium particles that bounce along stream bed

suspended load

small/ light sediment particles that travel in turbulent flow in the middle of the water column

dissolved load

dissolved ions produced by chemical weathering of soluble minerals that travel downstream

faster, erosion

streams flow ________ in the outside of a curve/ meander, causing _________

slower, deposition

streams flow _________ on the inside of a curve/ meander, causing ___________

bar built/ coastal lagoon

type of estuary that is shallow with a gentle slope, formed when sand bars/ barrier islands created by waves shield a shallow body of water

Barataria Bay

example of bar built estuary

coastal plain/ drowned river valley

type of shallow estuary with a V-shaped cross section formed by fluvial erosion

Chesapeake Bay

example of coastal plain estuary

tectonic

uncommon type of estuary formed when tectonic plates meet and create a deep basin that fills with seawater

San Francisco Bay

example of tectonic estuary

fjord

type of estuary with a U-shaped cross section formed by glacial erosion, usually found at high latitudes

stratified with little mixing, heterotrophic with high organic input

two reasons estuaries are particularly susceptible to hypoxia

wave, tide, river

three types of deltas

river-dominated bird foot

the MS River has a ____________ __________ delta

avulsion

the process of a delta switching courses

how deltas change course

channel slope becomes shallower, causing river to become more unstable and shear bed stress to decrease (increased sediment deposition —> shallower slope); river breaches natural levees to find most direct course downhill

Maringouin, Teche, St. Bernard, Lafourche, Plaquemine-Balize, Wax Lake

past Mississippi River deltas

Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, Southern

five oceans

Pacific

largest & deepest ocean

Arctic

smallest & shallowest ocean

15-300

the ocean is mixed (in terms of temperature & salinity) up to _____-_____ m in depth by wind and waves

temperature, salinity

_______________ is lower and _____________ is higher in the deep ocean, where stratification occurs

halocline

depth region of rapid salinity change

pycnocline

depth region of rapid seawater density change

thermocline

depth region of rapid temperature change

decreases

density _________ as temperature increases

higher

higher temperatures cause __________ stratification

thermohaline circulation

whole ocean currents caused by differences in seawater density created by surface temperature and salinity changes

shorter

shallow ocean has _________ carbon residence time than deep ocean

lithosphere

sphere w/ the longest carbon residence time

atmosphere

sphere w/ the shortest carbon residence time

Redfield ratio

ratio of C, N, and P in phytoplankton biomass; indicates that nutrients are also needed in photosynthesis

sunlight

limiting factor for phytoplankton in the winter

nutrients

limiting factor for phytoplankton in the summer

spring and fall

seasons in which phytoplankton blooms (high biomass) occur

weighted buoy with light/ dark bottles

method for measuring photosynthesis vs respiration in the ocean

C 14 method

simpler method for measuring photosynthesis & respiration in the ocean but must contend with radiation safety/ waste

carbonate compensation depth

depth in the ocean below which calcium carbonate fully dissolves; affected by temperature, pressure, particle size, and flux

Pacific, older, lower

the carbonate compensation is shallower in the __________ Ocean because it has _________ water with a _________ pH due to higher dissolved inorganic carbon and respiration rates

biological pump

the transport/conversion of inorganic carbon (CO2) from surface waters to organic carbon in deep waters, accomplished through the food web and marine snow

carbonate pump

the process of ocean carbon sequestration driven by calcifying plankton (calcium carbonate shells), which release CO2 back into the atmosphere as a byproduct

solubility pump

the movement of CO2 throughout the ocean by gas exchange at the surface and the physical processes that transport dissolved gas downwards; impacts ocean acidification through reaction of CO2 w/ water to form carbonic acid

deep water, Pacific

areas of the ocean with higher nutrient concentrations

microbial respiration/ decomposition/ oxidation

process that regenerates nutrients in the ocean

older water = more time to accumulate nutrients through decomposition

reason why there are more nutrients in the Pacific than the Atlantic

glacial melting, thermal expansion

two reasons global warming contributes to sea level rise

satellite altimeter

method of determining sea level by measuring return speed and intensity of a radar pulse sent towards the ocean

tidal gauge

measures daily high and low tides to calculate sea level, must be adjusted for seasonal differences

eustatic

related to change in volume of water in the ocean

isostatic

related to subsidence/ uplift of crust caused by glaciers or mountains

negative

a more __________ delta C-14 value indicates older seawater/ sediment