Oceanography Test 3

atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations

What variable is measured at the Mauna Loa Volcano Observatory?

3.98 C

Water is most dense at what temperature?

rising co2 levels in the oceans

What is correlated with rising atmospheric carbon dioxide?

85%

What proportion of all water entering the atmosphere originates in the ocean?

4100 years

What is the average residence time of water in the ocean before it is evaporated again?

9 days

What is the average residence time of water in the atmosphere?

hydrologic cycle

The movement of water beween the land, oceans, rivers, and the atmosphere is termed the

solvent

The liquid component (and usually more abundant component) of a solution is calle the

ionic bonding

When NaCl (sodium chloride) dissolves in water, the polarity of the water reduces the _____________________ between the Na+ and Cl- ions

diffusion

The random movement of a substance through water is due to

high, low

Dissolved substances typically diffuse from areas of ____________ concentration to areas of ____________ concentration

35%

The normal salinity of the oceans is?

saturated

When no more of a substance can dissolve in water, the water is said to be ______________ with that substance

 the total amount of dissolved solids in the ocean water

The term salinity refers to?

The constant proportion of solids or salts in seawater

What is Forchhammer's Principle?

1 part per million

Trace elements in seawater are elements present in amounts of less than

excess volatiles

Components of ocean water whose proportions are not accounted for by the weathering of surface rocks are called

Removal of these compounds by marine animals and plants to form shells and other hard parts

Seawater contains less silica and calcium ions than concentrated river water. This might be due to

residence time

What do we call the average length of time an atom spends in the ocean?

1600 years

What is the approximate mixing time of the oceans?

non-conservative constituents

Substances dissolved in seawater that are tied to biological or seasonal cycles or to very short geological cycles are called

33 psu

What is that salinity of a 33‰ water sample in practical salinity units (PSU)

bicarbonate

The ocean's buffering capacity is due to the reaction between CO2 and water to form dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). In the current ocean, which of the following is the most abundant constituent of DIC?

The amount of dissolved inorganic carbon present

What enhances the ocean’s buffering capacity?

increases, decreasing

The solubility of gases in seawater _________________ with __________________ temperature

Dissolved CO2 combines chemically with water to form a weak acid

Why can seawater hold substantially more CO2 than oxygen or nitrogen?

Because some of the dissolved CO2 forms carbonate ions, locking up dissolved CO2 in a form that cannot be readily released

Why does CO2 move quickly from the atmosphere to the ocean but slowly from the ocean to the atmosphere?

Due to the respiration of marine animals and bacteria, and because of the oxygen consumed by the decay of tiny dead organisms slowly sinking through the area

Why does the oxygen concentration of the ocean decrease below the sunlit surface waters

Releases a hydrogen ion in solution

An acid is defined as a substance that

8.0

The pH of seawater is approximately

carbonic acid

In terms of dissolved inorganic carbon, the majority of CO2 in seawater ends up as

Dissolved inorganic carbon

The sum of CO2 (dissolved carbon dioxide), H2CO3 (carbonic acid), HCO3- (bicarbonate), and CO32- (carbonate) is referred to as

buffering

A process that prevents broad changes in pH in a solution is referred to as

Bicarbonate and a hydrogen ion

If seawater is too basic then carbonic acid will be converted to

Dropped by 0.1 units

Since the industrial revolution, ocean pH is estimated to have

The increased abundance of hydrogen ions compete with calcium ions for carbonate

Ocean acidification poses a particular challenge for animals that secrete calcium carbonate shells because

bicarbonate

Ocean's buffering capacity is due to the reaction between CO2 and water to form dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). In the current ocean, which of the following is the most abundant constituent of DIC?

the sun

What is the main source of energy for all life on earth?

coral reefs

Which of the following marine communities have the highest rates of primary production?

primary producers

Organisms that trap energy via photosynthesis are referred to as

consumers

Organisms that eat other organisms for energy are called

carbohydrates

What simple compounds do plants produce via photosynthesis?

oxygen

What gas is released as a byproduct of photosynthesis?

hydrogen sulfide

In chemosynthesis, what compound takes the place of water in many chemical reactions?

autotrophs

Organisms that manufacture their own energy compounds via photosynthesis or chemosynthesis are called

10%

As a general rule, what percentage of energy is passed on from one trophic level to the next?

C, H, O, N

What four elements make up 99% of the mass of all living things?

biogeochemical cycle

The movement of atoms and small molecules between the living and nonliving realms is called a

carbon

The largest of all biogeochemical cycles is the ______________ cycle

1%

Approximately what percentage of carbon from the surface waters eventually reaches the ocean sediments?

carbon dioxide

What is the end product of respiration?

reduced

Dissolved nitrogen (inorganic nitrogen) must be ______________ into usable organic nitrogen by specialized organisms such as bacteria or cyanobacteria.

N2

Which of the following is not an organic form of nitrogen?

iron

The addition of what element has been proposed as a means of accelerating uptake of CO2 into the ocean?