(13) geo: introduction to oceans

how is the ocean related to the hydrologic cycle?

the ocean is the largest component of the hydrologic cycle.

how is the ocean related to the carbon cycle?

the ocean is the second largest component of the carbon cycle.

how does the ocean relate to heat transport?

it transports 25% of heat energy north from the equator

how do the atlantic and pacific ocean basins contrast in saltiness?

the atlantic ocean is saltier than the pacific ocean

why is the atlantic ocean saltier than the pacific?

winds move the water, higher evaporation rates

how do the atlantic and pacific ocean basins contrast in evaporation?

there is more evaporation in atlantic oceans, more precipitation in pacific oceans.

what is sounding?

placing a weight on a string and letting it fall

what is echo sounding?

sending a ping to the ocean floor and waiting for a reflection

what is a seabeam?

multiple echo soundings in different directions

what is a satellite?

measuring the surface ocean and inferring the ocean floor

who connected patterns across various sounding profiles?

marie tharp, helped us understand plate tectonics and earthquakes through the ocean

the deep ocean has ___?

topography, changes in the lithosphere and mantle

what are the properties of seawater?

96% water, 3.4% salt

what two properties make water more dense?

colder water and saltier water

what is the big six? (definition)

concentration is constant with depth, mostly constant in ocean basins

what materials make up the big six?

chloride, sodium, sulfate, magnesium, calcium, potassium

what does conservative in the big six mean?

the relative concentration is the same with depth

what processes add fresh water?

precipitation, runoff, iceberg meltings

what process adds mostly fresh water and some saltwater?

sea ice melting

what process removes mostly freshwater?

sea ice forming

what process removes pure water?

evaporation

temperature decreases with ____?

depth

surface ocean is ____ ____ than the deep ocean.

less salty

why is stratification stable?

colder water is at the bottom of the ocean

what is a thermocline?

a region of rapid temperature change with depth

what is a halocline?

a rapid change in salinity with depth, stable because saltier water is at the bottom

what is a pycnocline?

a rapid change in density with depth

what two properties make water saltier?

evaporation and ice formation

what properties make water less salty?

precipitation, sea ice melt, glacier melt

where is more evaporation located?

subtropics

what is brine rejection?

the forming of sea ice excludes salt, forming brine

what is the salinity structure in a tropical ocean?

less salty: P > PET

what is the salinity structure in a subtropical ocean?

more salty: P < PET

what is the salinity structure in a high latitude ocean?

freshwater because of meltwater and precipitation

what two properties contribute to general ocean water density?

temperature and salinity

which surface is less dense? which is more?

surface ocean is less dense due to more mixture and more sunlight

deep ocean is more dense due to less mixture and less sunlight

which latitude is most dense from cold temps?

high latitudes

nutrient poor areas are in the…

subtropics

nutrient rich areas are in the…

coastal regions

which area of the earth has the least dense seawater?

the equator