Marine science

Why do water molecules have emergent properties

• Oxygen and hydrogen have unique characteristics on their own

• When they bond to form water molecules, the compound develops new characteristics called emergent properties

What is a result of water having a high heat capacity

Water can resist temperature changes, moderating climate

What happens to the density of water when water freezes

It decreases, and ice floats in water

How do hydrogen bonds contribute to waters property as a universal solvent

• The oxygen atom in water has a partial negative charge while the hydrogen atoms have partial positive charges

• This polarity allows molecules to surround and interact with various ionic and polar substances

Why does ice float on water and what is the ecological significance of it in aquatic environments

• Ice floats on water because its less dense than liquid water

• This occurs because in its solid form water molecules form crystalline structure due to hydrogen bonding

• This structure holds the molecules further apart than in liquid water, resulting in lower density

• Ecological significance is that it acts as an insulting layer preventing water below from freezing solid this allows marine animals to survive under water during cold months

Role of a solvent in a solution

To dissolve other substances

Why does sodium chloride dissolve easily in water

The ionic bonds in sodium chloride are broken by water molecules and the ions are surrounded by water molecules

How does an increase in seawater temperature affect the solubility of salts

It increases the solubility of salts

Why does warm water dissolve more salt than cold water

Warm water molecules move faster making it easier to break ionic bonds

How does turbulence and wave action affect gas levels in upper levels of ocean

It facilitates the dissolving of gases, increasing the concentration of CO2 and O2 in upper 200 meters

Why is CO2 more soluble in water than O2

CO2 forms carbonic acid in water while O2 does not combine with water molecules

How does temperature affect gas solubility in ocean

Cold water dissolves more gas than warm water

How does atmospheric pressure influence gas solubility in seawater

High pressure increases gas solubility while low pressure causes gases to be lost to the atmosphere

Why is there more oxygen in freshwater and estuaries compared to open ocean

Freshwaters and estuaries have lower salinity allowing for more gases like oxygen to dissolve

Why does the concentration of oxygen increase after the OML layer

• Very low food resources down there so marine organisms respire less

• Temps get near freezing and O2 dissolves best with cold temps

• The pressure increases and in turn so does the solubility of oxygen

Why is warm water saltier than cold water

• As water heats up, molecules move faster

• Makes it easier to break the ionic bonds in salt

• Allows more salts to dissolve in water

Formula for density

Mass/volume

How does temperature affect density of seawater

As temperature increases, density decreases

Thermocline

Layer between warm less dense water, and cold denser water

How do surface temperatures in Arctic compare to those in tropics

Arctic has surface temps around 10 C and cools at 1C while tropics have higher surface temperatures 

How does salinity affect density of water

Increase in salinity, increase in density

Halocline

Layer in ocean where there is a rapid change in salinity with depth

In what conditions would salty water be found on surface of ocean defying usual conditions

In teh tropics with high evaporation rates and higher temperatures occur

Pycnocline

Area of water where density changes quickly with depth

How does water change from liquid to gas in reference to hydrogen bonds and kinetic particle theory

• As liquid absorbs heat that causes molecules to vibrate and move further away from each other

• The more heat absorbed by water, the higher the vibration between molecules

• As a result hydrogen bonds between water molecules break