Marine Science Unit 1

Flashcards for Marine Science Review

Marine Science

The multidisciplinary study of the ocean and the life within it, including marine anatomy, currents, sea-air interactions, water composition, physics, chemistry, geology, biology, and engineering.

5 Named Oceans

Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic

Deepest spot in the ocean

Mariana Trench (Pacific)

Shallowest Ocean

Arctic

Warmest Ocean

Indian

Coldest Ocean

Arctic

Ocean with Highest Salinity

Atlantic

Ocean Basin

A large geological "bowl" that contains water, formed by plate tectonics.

Continental Shelf

Shallow area around continents.

Continental Slope

Steepest part of the seafloor.

Continental Rise

Edge of the deep ocean, less steep than the continental slope.

Abyssal Plain

Deep ocean floor.

Oceanic Crust

Made of volcanic rock.

Continental Crust

Made of granite (less dense).

Gulf

A portion of the ocean that penetrates land, varying in size, shape, and depth.

Marginal Seas

Large, shallow bodies of water along the continental shelf.

Saline Lakes

Not connected to the ocean but contain saltwater.

Sargasso Sea

A unique region in the Atlantic Ocean distinguished by its boundaries formed by ocean currents rather

Hypersaline Lakes

Lakes with very high salt concentrations that are disappearing due to human water extraction.

States of Water

Ice, Water, Steam

Average pH of Saltwater

8.2

ppt

parts per thousand, a unit of measurement for salinity in water.

Water Molecule (H2O)

2 hydrogen atoms, 1 oxygen atom covalently bound, forming hydrogen bonds between molecules.

Major Ions in Saltwater

Chloride, Sodium, Sulfate, Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium

Salinity - Red Sea

40 ppt

Salinity - Mediterranean Sea

38 ppt

Salinity - Average Seawater

34.7 ppt

Salinity - Black Sea

18 ppt

Salinity - Baltic Sea

8 ppt

Salinity Limit - Agriculture

2 ppt

Salinity Limit - Drinking Water

0.1 ppt

Brine

50+ ppt

Marine

35ppt

Brackish

30ppt

Fresh

0-5 ppt

Salinity

Total salt in 1 kg of water.

Factors that Increase Salinity

Heat (evaporation), Freezing, Deeper Water

Factors that Decrease Salinity

Rainfall, Freshwater Rivers, Melting Ice

Physical Oceanography

Studies ocean circulation and water properties using physics.

Surface Currents

Wind-driven currents affecting the top 10% of the ocean, occurring in the upper 100-500 meters.

Deep Currents

Density-driven currents affecting the bottom 90% of the ocean.

Ocean Waves

Disturbances on the ocean surface created by wind, gravity, or other water displacements, shaping coastlines and eroding rock.

Ocean Tides

Rhythmic rise and fall of the ocean's water, caused by the gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon.

High Tide

Rising, incoming tide.

Low Tide

Receding, outgoing tide.

Slack Tide

Between high and low tide, vertical movement stops.

Tidal Bulge

Water pulled away from the Earth's surface due to gravitational pull.

Centrifugal Force

Spinning force causing a tidal bulge on the opposite side of the Earth from the Moon.

Spring Tides

Sun and Moon in alignment, larger tidal bulge, occur on full and new moons.

Neap Tides

Sun and Moon at right angles, pulls cancel each other out, smaller tidal bulge, occur during the first and second quarter moons.

Perigee Tides

Moon is closest, strongest tide.

Apogee Tides

Moon is farthest, weakest tide.

Diurnal Tides

One high and one low tide per day.

Semi-Diurnal Tides

Two high and two low tides per day.

Mixed Semi-Diurnal Tides

Variation of semi-diurnal tides.

Marine Ecosystem

Any environment that occurs in or near saltwater, consisting of biotic and abiotic components.

Biotic Factors

Living components of the ecosystem.

Abiotic Factors

Non-living components of the ecosystem.

Thermoconformers

Match the temperature of the ocean (ectotherms).

Thermoregulators

Maintain a temperature above that of the ocean (endotherms).

Homeostasis

Maintaining constant internal conditions regardless of the environment.

Stenohaline

Tolerate a narrow range of salinities.

Euryhaline

Tolerate a wide range of salinities.

Osmoconformers

Match the salinity of the surrounding environment.

Osmoregulators

Use kidneys, gills, and other structures to maintain constant internal solute concentration.

Generalist

Eats just about anything.

Specialist

Eats one specific food source or prey item.

Coral Reef

Warm, shallow, clear water with corals, many fish and inverts, and high biodiversity.

Salt Marsh

Soft sediments deposit along shorelines, with grasses, seabirds, and inverts.

Estuary

Where ocean and rivers meet, with few adapted species.

Deep Sea

Dark, cold, and high-pressure environment with few organisms and marine snow.

Kelp Forest

Cool water, shallow and nearshore environment with kelp and baby fish.

Mangrove

Saltwater shrubland.

Open Ocean

Far from shore, no places to hide, with fast-moving streamlined organisms.

Hydrothermal Vents

These are fissures in the seafloor found near mid-ocean ridges where geothermally heated water is released. Unlike most ecosystems that rely on sunlight, hydrothermal vent ecosystems are based on chemosynthesis. Chemosynthetic organisms, mainly bacteria and archaea, use chemicals such as hydrogen sulfide emitted from the vents to produce energy. These organisms form the base of the food web, supporting a variety of life, including tube worms, clams, and other specialized species adapted to the extreme conditions of high pressure, temperature, and toxic chemicals.

Polar Ice

Cold polar regions, frozen water at the surface, with a large variety of microscopic organisms and relatively high diversity.

Sandy Beach

Highly variable environment where erosion has produced sand.

Rocky Intertidal

A dynamic coastal environment located between the highest high tide and the lowest low tide marks. These areas are characterized by rocky substrates that are periodically submerged and exposed.

Ecology Organization

Levels of Organization in Ecology: Organism, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biosphere

Abiotic Factors

Wind, sunlight, soil, waves, atmosphere, temperature, salinity, water flow

Biotic Factors

Producers, Consumers, Decomposers

Commensalism

One organism benefits, and the other is neither harmed nor benefits.

Mutualism

Both organisms benefit.

Parasitism

One organism benefits, and the other is harmed.

Autotroph

Self-feeders, produce their own food using sunlight or stored energy

Heterotroph

Consume other organisms for energy

Herbivore

Eats autotrophs

Carnivore

Eats heterotrophs

Omnivore

Eats both autotrophs and heterotrophs

Detritivore

Eats dead organic matter (also known as decomposers)

Food Web

A complex network of feeding relationships through which energy flows in an ecosystem.

Trophic Level

A group of organisms whose feeding source is the same number of steps from the sun.

10% Rule

Energy is lost or used as it flows through the trophic levels of an ecosystem; at each level, the energy stored in an organism is about 10% of that of the level below it.

Biomass

The total quantity or weight of organisms in a given area or volume.

Bioaccumulation

If contaminants are introduced at any level, those organisms that consume the contaminated food will absorb the contaminants as well.

Biomagnification

The process where the concentration of a contaminant increases as it passes up the food chain.

Species

A group of organisms that can be similar in appearance and produce fertile offspring.

Ancestor

An organism from which others have descended. An ancestor is usually extinct. Understanding ancestral relationships helps scientists trace evolutionary pathways and understand the development of traits over time.

Node

Branching Point

Tree of classifications

Trees of classification, called a tree, cladogram, or phylogeny