Marine Biomes and Water Pollution

Flashcards covering marine biomes, water pollution, phytoplankton, and other related topics.

Marine Biomes

Saltwater biomes, characterized by a salt concentration of 3%.

Freshwater examples

Lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands.

Saltwater examples

Oceans and estuaries.

What is an estuary?

Where a freshwater river or stream meets the ocean, creating a mix of fresh and saltwater due to tides.

What are intertidal zones?

The transition between land and sea, where organisms attach to substrate and tolerate a wide range of water and air levels.

Primary productivity

The rate at which sunlight is converted into organic compounds through photosynthesis.

Net primary productivity

The amount of organic matter produced by photosynthetic organisms after accounting for their respiration rates (Gross Primary Productivity minus Cellular Respiration).

Gross primary productivity

Glucose or chemical energy produced during photosynthesis.

What is Phytoplankton?

Microscopic organisms that perform almost half of global photosynthesis in the ocean.

What areas have the most primary productivity on Earth?

Algal beds and coral reefs.

Euphotic Zone

The part of the ocean where sunlight is able to penetrate the water, up to 200 meters deep.

What is a thermocline?

A thin layer of water where temperature changes very quickly, restricting nutrient flow.

Southern Ocean currents

Pushing water northward, causing upwelling and nutrient distribution, countering thermoclines.

What is nonpoint source pollution?

Aggregate pollution from a large area.

What is point source pollution?

Pollution that can be tracked back to a specific point.

What type of pollution often causes the oxygen sag curve?

Nutrient pollution.

Oxygen Sag Curve

Shows how biological oxygen demand and dissolved oxygen in the water are affected by the addition of pollution.

Largest contributors of thermal pollution

Power plants using water as coolants.

Biological pollution

The presence of pathogens such as bacteria and viruses in the water supply.

Examples of chemical pollutants

Petroleum, pesticides, heavy metals, and industrial solvents.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

Chemical pollutants that do not easily break down in the environment.

Preaccumulation

The absorption of POPs into fatty animal tissue.

Biomagnification

The concentration of POPs through the food chain, leading to higher levels in top predators.

Bioassay

Used to determine the effect that a chemical or pollutant has on a living organism.

What is LD50?

the amount of a chemical that will kill fifty percent of the population of that organism.

Requirements for an area to be considered a wetland

Water present at least part of the year, hydric soils, and hydrophobic vegetation.

Benefits of wetlands

Water retention, reduced erosion, and filtration of waterborne pollutants.

Anoxic soils

Oxygen-poor soils that slow the decomposition of organic matter, causing carbon to build up.

Wetland mitigation

Creating, enlarging, or preserving wetlands due to human impacts.