unit 4: oceans

Negative Feedback

when the response is in the opposite direction of the input

Positive Feedback

when the response is the same direction of as the input

Coriolis Effect

describes the apparent deflection of currents, or winds as they travel across the rotating Earth

Deflection

to alter from intended path

Sea Breeze

During the day; the localized wind blowing from the ocean to the land

Land Breeze

During the night; the localized wind blowing from the land to the ocean

Specific Heat Capacity

how much energy is needed to raise one gram of a substance one degree

Macronutrients

large molecules of life CHNOPS (sometime K)

Micronutrients

smaller molecules of life molybedum (Mo), iron (Fe, copper (Cu)

Summer Solstice

June 21 when the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun and the solar maximum and direct sunlight reach the tropic of Cancer

Solar Noon

when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky

Currents

ocean circulation driven by the wind and density

Salinity

salt content of a body of water

Biologic Oxygen Demand

amount of dissolved oxygen needed to sustain organisms in a body of water

Ocean Acidification

reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period of time, caused primarily by uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.

Nitrogen fixation

the conversion of nitrogen gas into ammonia by bacteria

Ammonification

the breakdown of dead organic matter by bacteria creating NH4+ ammonium

Nitrification

the conversion of ammonia by bacteria into nitrites and nitrates

Assimilation

the incorporation and absorption of nitrogen compounds into plants

Denitrification

the conversion by bacteria of nitrogen compounds back to nitrogen gas

Brackish

water salinity between Saline and Fresh

Biomagnification

accumulation of certain chemicals in living organisms to a higher concentration

Bioaccumulation

the net accumulation of a contaminant in or on an organism from all sources including water, air, and diet

PCBs

group of human-made chemicals that were commonly used in building materials and electrical equipment before 1980 that are absorbed through fat ingestion

Hypoxia

lack of oxygen in waters

Gross vs Net Primary Productivity

Gross primary production (GPP) is the total rate at which material is produced and net primary production (NPP) is the rate at which material is accumulated minus respiration