AICE Marine Science Study Guide for Exam

Erosion

the removal of rock/particles moved by action of waves/wind/rain

Deposition/Sedimentation

the dropping/depositing/accumulating of rock/particles by waves/wind

Plate Tectonic Theory

-Earth's crust/lithosphere is made of plates

-Continents lie on plates

-Plates are moving slowing on top of asthenosphere

-Plates move do to convection currents in the asthenosphere

-Plates meet at boundaries; convergent divergent and transform

-Plate movement causes earthquakes, mountain building, and volcanic eruptions

Divergent Boundary

two plates moving apart from one another

Convergent Boundary

where two (or more) tectonic plates or fragments of the lithosphere move toward one another and collide, one forming on top of the other.

Transform Boundary

two or more plates sliding past each other

Littoral Zone

Area between high and low water mark/areas submerged at high tide and exposed at low tides

Rocky Shore

-Cold temperature

-Erosional

-pebble substrate

-snail (attach) crab (hide/camo) bacteria (burrow)

Muddy Shore

-Flat slope

-Depositional

-Sand/clay substrate

-bacteria, worms (burrow) algae (attach)

Sandy Shoe

-Depositional

-Fine to coarse substrate

-only burrowing organisms (Plankton, jellyfish, and mollusks)

Estuary

-Blackish Water

-Low dissolved oxygen

-Low wave action

-Depositional

-Fine, muddy silt substrate

-Seaweed, fish algae

Delta

-Blackish Water

-Movement of sedimentation

-Fine to silt substrate

-Worms (burrow) crabs fish

Mangrove

-5-20 degrees celcius, tropical climate, low dissolved oxygen, low wave action, deep sediment

-Muddy to silt sediment

-Depositional

-Bacteria, snails, ferns (burrow/attach)

Larger; Smaller

Particle size on sandy shore is _____________ in particle size and _________________ for a muddy shore.

Thermocline

interface between two layers, where the temperature decreases abruptly as the depth increases.

Halocline

A significant change in salinity as the depth increases.

Salinity

the measure of all the salts dissolved in water.

Solubility

a chemical property referring to the ability for a given substance, the solute, to dissolve in a solvent.

Tidal Range

the difference in height between the highest high and lowest low tides

Geomorphology

The shape of the shoreline/coastline, the shape of the tidal basin.

Upwelling

vertical movement of cold deep water that reaches the surface caused by costal slope or mid ocean ridge and brings nutrients to the surface

35 ppt

Average salinity of the oceans

Sodium and Chloride ions

What are the two most abundant ions which make up the salt found in seawater

Factors which affect the chemical composition of seawater

-Dissolution of atmospheric gases from either mixing of air or volcanic eruptions

-Carbon dioxide, sulpher dioxide, chlorine dissolve with water and change the pH more acidic

List and explain the sources of salts in the oceans

Weathering of rocks, volcanic eruptions and decomposition of marine organisms

The factors which affect salinity changes throughout the year (from winter to spring)

-temperature increasing evaporation rate of water, salinity increasing

-rainfall/precipitation dilutes water, salinity decreases

How surface salinity varies with distance from land (& know why this happens)

Salinity decreases the closer to the shore from runoff/river outflow diluting water.

What is the relationship between surface salinity and latitude?

-Salinity increases from 300 degrees N and S of the equator due to temperature

-Salinity decreases at the poles due to ice forming and melting of ice particularly at the surface but brine denser colder water is usually below

Explain how volcanoes and runoff affect the chemical composition of seawater

Volcanoes release carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, chlorine from hydrochloric gas, flourine gas

Decreases

As temperature increases, density ____________.

Increases

As salinity increases, density _______________.

Know how the levels change as you go deeper into the ocean and know why levels of dissolved oxygen in the oceans fluctuate.

-Oxygen increases at the surface due to wave action/wind/mixing of air.

-Oxygen increases by the presence of photosynthetic phytoplankton producing oxygen

-Oxygen is used up by marine organisms during respiration decreasing oxygen

-Oxygen increases as depth increases due to solubility of gases is greater when temperature decrease.

Biological factors for why the concentration of oxygen in seawater varies.

Photosynthetic phytoplankton producing oxygen and marine organism using oxygen during respiration

Physical factors for why the concentration of oxygen in seawater varies.

-Pressure decreasing then oxygen decreases, temperature decrease then oxygen increases, salinity increases then oxygen decreases

-Turbulence from mixing of air/wind/wave action then oxygen increases

Differences between the oxygen concentrations in fresh water and in sea

-Fresh water is higher in oxygen concentration than sea water

-In a normal freshwater stream, one wants to ideally have a dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration of at least 6 ppm or greater. One does not want to have less than 4 ppm DO in the water because at this concentration range, fish can normally not survive.

Differences between the oxygen concentrations in fresh water and in sea

-Oxygen is more easily dissolved into water with low levels of dissolved or suspended solids. Waters with high amounts of salt, such as the ocean (which contains about 35 grams of salt for each 1000 grams of water) have low concentrations of DO. As the amount of salt in any body of water increases, the amount of dissolved oxygen decreases. An increase in salt concentration due to evaporation of water from an ecosystem tends to reduce the dissolved oxygen available to the ecosystems inhabitants.

Increases

As temperature decreases, solubility _________________

Atmospheric dissolution

mixing of air from wind/wave action (oxygen and carbon dioxide can enter oceans from dissolution)

Describe how atmospheric gases get into seawater

-Atmospheric dissolution

-Volcanic eruptions release sulfur and chloride gas when enter oceans combine with water to form access and change salinity

How are tides caused

-the gravitational pull between the Sun, Earth and Moon

-Moon's gravity pulls on the Earth, pulling the ocean waters toward the Moon

-This pull creates a bulge of water on Earth

-The bulge on the exact opposite side of the Earth is created by centrifugal forces as Earth rotates

-These bulges create high tides and on side of Earth with no bulge is low tides

Factors that affect tidal range

-Alignment of the Earth, Sun and Moon

-Geomorphology (shape of the coast)

-Wind

-Air pressure

-Size of the body of water

Neap tides

-When Sun, Earth and Moon from a right angle

-Occurs during 1st and 3rd quarter moon

-Not a strong gravitational pull

Spring tides

-large tidal range

-When Sun, Earth and Moon form a straight line, 180 degrees

-Occurs during full and new moon

-Greatest gravitational pull

Ocean Current

Movement of water in one direction

Explain how wind and the shape of the sea bed produce ocean currents and upwelling

-Upwelling is the process that occurs when wind blows across the ocean surface, pushing water away (displacement of surface water). The deeper colder water then rises up from beneath the surface to replace the water that was pushed away. Upwelling areas are regions where significant vertical movement of water occurs. This can happen near shore because of the slop of the land or in the open ocean. A mid-ocean ridge cause upwelling by deflecting deep water currents upwards. Upwelling brings nutrients to the surface.

East to West

Normall winds blow from ________ to _________, during El Nino year the trade winds are weakened and sometimes reversed

Lack

Normally winds blowing east to west allow for upwelling to occur of coast of South America, during El Nino year because of the weakening of the winds, there is a ______________ of upwelling

Increase

Normally water off coast of South America is cool, during El Nino year the winds weakening and lack of upwelling, _______________ warmer waters of the coast of South America.

Rise; rougher seas

Normally strong upwelling produce smoother seas off the coast of South America, during El Nino year the winds weakening cause surface water to __________ off the coast of south America creating ______________ _________.

Explain how El Nino conditions affect the fish populations near the coast of South America

Weakening of winds causes lack of upwelling

Lack of upwelling means less nutrients

Less nutrients, less phytoplankton growth

Less phytoplankton, less food for fish

Less food for fish, less fish population and/or fish die

Explain why India experiences a wet summer monsoon

In the summer months, from May until August, the land heats up quickly and there is relatively large temperature difference between Central Asia and the Indian Ocean. Air over the land warms, becomes less dense and rises. this draws in air saturated with water vapor from the Indian Ocean, from a south-westerly direction. The summer monsoons bring thunderstorms and exceptionally heavy rain. It has been estimated that these summer monsoons bring over 80% of India's annual rainfall.

Features of a cyclone

A large, low-pressure centre and many thunderstorms with strong winds and heavy rain

Describe conditions necessary for the formation of a tropical cyclone

Must be over warm sea water (with a temp of at least 26.5 degrees Celsius) and must be in a low pressure area where evaporation of water occurs. As the water vapor rises, it condenses and releases large amounts of heat energy (latent heat of condensation). This heat energy further increases evaporation, driving the development of the cyclone. As a result of the rotation of the Earth and the Coriolis Effect, the whole cyclone system starts to spin.

Possible effects of cyclones on coastal communities

-High winds cause structural damage to property&homes

-Damage to roads and habitats

-Reduced protection to shores affecting mangroves

-Storm surges cause flooding

-Coastal wetlands become flooded with salt water

-Death and disease

One beneficial effect that may occur when a cyclone reaches land

-Rain to dry areas

-Replenish nutrients to areas that were drought

- See dispersal

-Destroys/removes nonnative plant

Monsoon

Wind systems that exhibit a pronounced seasonal reversal in direction

Land breeze

-Occurs during night time

-Water is warmer than land due to waters high heat capacity

-Wind direction blows from land to sea

-Area of low to high air pressure

Sea breeze

-Occurs during the day

-Land is warmer than sea from the sun

-Wind direction blows from sea to land

-Area of high to low air pressure

Evaporation

Process that provides the latent energy for the development of the cyclone

Decreases

Air pressure __________________ as air rises during a cyclone

How a mid-ocean ridge is formed

an underwater mountain range, formed by plate tectonics. This uplifting of the ocean floor occurs when convection currents rise in the mantle beneath the oceanic crust and create magma where two tectonic plates meet at a divergent boundary.

Subduction

How is a deep ocean trench formed