Marine Science Mid-term

Explain what a food chain is and what the trophic levels are

Food chain – linear relationship, begins with a producer and continues with primary consumer, secondary, tertiary, up to a quaternary

What percentage of energy goes to the next trophic level

10%

Explain how spring tides form, their tidal range, and their gravitational force

• Spring tides create the greatest tidal range

• Occurs when earth, sun, and moon are aligned in a straight line

• The alignment amplifies the gravitational effect the moon and sun have on earth creating a larger than average ocean bulge

Explain how neap tides form, their tidal range, and their gravitational force

• Neap tides create the smallest tidal range

• Occur when sun and moon are at right angles from each other

• Sun and moon are pulling in opposite directions creating gravitational forces that go against each other and create smaller than normal ocean bulge

Explain how ionic structure forms from sodium atoms to chloride atoms

• Sodium donates an electron to chlorine (becomes positively charged)

• Chlorine gains an electron from sodium (becomes negatively charged)

• Sodium losing its electron moves it towards its full valence shell

• Chlorine gaining an electron completes its valence shell

Describe how sodium chloride dissolves in water

• When sodium chloride is placed in water the ionic bonds are broken by water

• Partially positive hydrogen ends of water surround the negatively charged chloride ions

• Partially negative oxygen ends of water molecules surround the positively charged sodium ions

Relationship of depth and salinity in estuaries

o   In estuaries salinity generally increases with depth

o   Saltwater is denser than freshwater so when the two combine the saltwater moves lower

Explain why coral reef regions have a higher total primary productivity

• High photosynthesis

• Clear, shallow, non-turbid water

• Coral reefs have many photosynthetic organism

Explain why continental shelf with regions with no upwelling have a higher total primary productivity

• Non-upwelling areas cover a lot more area

• sunlight can penetrate because this region is on the surface and there’s lots of available sunlight and oxygen so photosynthetic rates increase

Some upwelling areas have benefits of upwelling all year well, explain how upwelling occurs

• Cold and nutrient rich water from the deep ocean is brought to the surface

• When winds blow parallel to the shore, warm surface water is displaced and moves offshore and has to be replaced by cool water from deep and

• this cold water has nutrients because nutrients tend to sink to bottom

Suggest the benefits to the local fisheries in yearlong upwelling (ex: bigger and more fish = more profits)

o   Increase nutrients for increased primary productivity

o   Increase nutrients/energy transferred along the food chain

o   Increase the number and size of fish and this leads to more profit

How does erosion effect shorelines in littoral zones

• Ice erosion — glaciers move material/rocks

• Water erosion — run-off carries sediments and shape estuaries and deltas

• Wind erosion — Wind blows particles to new areas

• Gravity erosion — Particles stumble from high to low areas

• Rocky shores — Have high level of erosion carrying materials away quickly that have large particle size

• Sandy shores — low erosion and deposits more sandy particles to shore

• Muddy shores/estuaries — low estimated erosion levels, fine sediments, super flat and protected

Describe the features of sandy shore ecosystems

o   Sandy shores is an unstable environment

o   Subject to wind erosion + water erosion and easily move

o   Long shore drift

o   Free draining/pours/subject to drying and wetting cycles

o   You can find small particles

o   Gentle slope

o   Low biodiversity (because land is not fertile because its sandy) -> Low productivity -> Low food availability

• Wide ecological niche

How do animals adapt to sandy shores?

• Burrowing

• For protection/temperature on moisture control

• Flattened (dorsally or ventrally) to allow for easy burrowing

• Camouflaged

• Come into water column to feed when tide is in

• Migration up down beach with tide

Explain the importance of solid water floating on liquid form for ecosystems

o   Provides a habitat to live on

o   Large animals living on upper surface and Algae and phytoplankton attach to underside thermal insulator

o   Maintaining higher sea temperatures in water in winter

o   Separates to create barriers between colder atmosphere and water

o   Prevents cool water column from freezing

Discuss the importance of maintaining global marine biodiversity in terms of services it provides us

o   Maintain stable ecosystem/protecting ecosystem (coral reefs/mangroves protecting our shorelines

o   Food source (fish/shellfish/algae)

o   Can get medicine (like KLH)

o   Climate control (phytoplankton and marine plants absorb co2 and release o2)