Seawater Chemistry
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93 Terms
Why is water important to Earth's climate
It absorbs and transports heat
What causes hydrogen bonding in water
Unequal electron distribution creates partial charges that attract neighboring water molecules
What is a polar molecule
A molecule with an unequal distribution of electrical charge
What is heat capacity
Energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius
What is the heat capacity of water
4.184 joules per gram per degree Celsius
Why do oceans moderate coastal climates
Water has high heat capacity and changes temperature slowly
How is solar heat distributed through the ocean
Through turbulence and wind-driven mixing
What is latent heat of fusion
Heat required to change a solid into a liquid
What is latent heat of vaporization
Heat required to change a liquid into a gas
How does evaporation and condensation transport heat
Evaporation occurs near the tropics and condensation transfers heat at higher latitudes
At what temperature is pure water most dense
Approximately 4 degrees Celsius
Why does ice form at the surface
Liquid water is denser than solid ice
What is surface tension
Attraction among surface water molecules that affects waves and bubbles
What is viscosity
A liquid's internal resistance to flow
How does decreasing temperature affect viscosity
Viscosity increases as temperature decreases
How does viscosity affect microorganisms
It helps prevent microorganisms from sinking
Why do some tropical microorganisms have spines
To increase drag and reduce sinking
Why is water called the universal solvent
It dissolves more substances than any other liquid
What substances does water dissolve especially well
Ionic compounds such as salts
What is a chemical source
A location or process where a substance is produced
What is a chemical sink
A location where a substance is stored
What is steady state
The rate of all inputs equals the rate of all outputs
What happens to total chemical quantity at steady state
It remains constant
What are examples of chemical inputs to the ocean
Weathering and mantle inputs at spreading centers
What are examples of chemical outputs from the ocean
Salt precipitation and sedimentation and subduction
What is residence time
The time an element spends in the ocean before removal
What does a short residence time indicate
Rapid removal and generally lower steady-state concentration
What does a long residence time indicate
Slow removal and generally higher steady-state concentration
What is salinity
The dissolved salt content of water
What is average ocean salinity
Approximately 35 parts per thousand
How is salinity commonly measured today
Using electrical conductivity expressed in PSU
How does salinity affect freezing and boiling points
It lowers the freezing point and raises the boiling point
How does increasing salinity affect density
It increases seawater density
What is the fixed ratio of ions in seawater
The major dissolved ions occur in relatively constant proportions
What are the six major seawater constituents
Chlorine and sodium and magnesium and sulfate and calcium and potassium
What concentration defines a major constituent
Greater than 100 parts per million
What concentration defines a minor constituent
Between 1 and 100 parts per million
What are the six minor seawater constituents
Bromine and carbon and strontium and boron and silicon and fluorine
Brian carries sal’s butterfly silk flappers
What concentration defines a trace element
Less than 1 part per million
What are examples of trace elements
Iron and copper and lead and zinc
Why are trace elements important
They can be essential or toxic and vary with biological processes
What are examples of natural organic compounds in seawater
Lipids and proteins and amino acids and vitamins
What are examples of human-made organic compounds in seawater
Oils and DDT and PCBs
What is CDOM
Colored dissolved organic matter that affects light penetration
What processes affect dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide
Atmosphere-ocean exchange and photosynthesis and respiration
How does dissolved oxygen generally change with depth
It is abundant near the surface and becomes depleted at depth
Where is a large amount of ocean carbon dioxide stored
In deep water
How does decreasing temperature affect gas solubility
Cold water holds more dissolved gas
How does increasing salinity affect gas solubility
It decreases gas solubility
How does increasing pressure affect gas solubility
It increases gas solubility
Why does the age of a water mass matter
Gas concentrations change during circulation and biological processes
What is ocean pH
A measure of acidity or basicity related to hydrogen ion concentration
What is the pH range of the ocean in the slides
Approximately 7.5 to 8.1
What buffers ocean pH
The carbon dioxide carbonate system
What is the function of the carbonate buffer
It resists pH changes when acids or bases are added
What happens when dissolved carbon dioxide increases
Hydrogen ion concentration increases and pH decreases
How can increased dissolved carbon dioxide affect marine organisms
It can harm organisms containing calcium carbonate
What does TSP stand for
Temperature and salinity and pressure
What three factors affect seawater density
Temperature and salinity and pressure
How does decreasing temperature affect density
It increases density
How does increasing pressure affect density
It increases density
Why does increasing pressure increase density
It compresses water into a smaller volume
Why is pressure a relatively small density influence
Water is nearly incompressible
How does increasing salinity increase density
Dissolved ions increase the mass of seawater
Which factor can be especially important for density in estuaries
Salinity
Which density factor is especially important in the tropics
Temperature
Which density factor is especially important at high latitudes
Salinity
What salinity range characterizes about 75 percent of the ocean
34 to 35
What happens to salts when seawater freezes
Salts are excluded from the forming ice
What is the wavelength range of visible light
Approximately 400 to 700 nanometers
Which electromagnetic radiation penetrates seawater farthest
Visible light
Which visible colors penetrate deepest
Blue and green
Which visible colors are absorbed quickly
Red and violet
What is turbidity
Cloudiness of water caused by suspended material
What is the photic zone
The surface layer extending to the depth receiving 1 percent of incident light
What is light scattering
The redirection of photons by water molecules and particles and plankton
What is backscattering
Light scattered back toward the ocean surface
Why does clear ocean water appear blue
Blue light penetrates deeply and is backscattered
Why can seawater appear green or brown
Phytoplankton and sediment increase backscattering
How can satellites estimate phytoplankton concentrations
By measuring reflected light associated with chlorophyll
What does red indicate in the slides' false-color phytoplankton images
High phytoplankton concentration
What is light refraction
A change in light direction caused by a change in speed
How does salinity affect light refraction
Increasing salinity increases refraction
What type of waves are sound waves
Pressure waves consisting of compression and rarefaction
How fast does sound travel in water compared with air
Approximately four times faster
How do temperature and pressure affect sound speed
Increasing temperature and pressure increase sound speed
What is sonar
Sound navigation and ranging used to measure distances
What can sonar detect
Submarines and fish schools and zooplankton and suspended particles
What is a sound shadow zone
An area created by refraction where sound waves do not travel directly
What is the SOFAR channel
A sound velocity minimum where sound can travel great distances with little attenuation
Why can sound travel far in the SOFAR channel
Sound waves refract upward and downward around the velocity minimum
What is acoustic thermometry
Using changes in sound travel time to estimate ocean temperature
How does acoustic thermometry detect temperature change
Changes in sound velocity alter travel times between sound sources and hydrophone