Marine Bio 1

coriolis effect

how the rotation of earth causes the atmosphere to be deflected right in Northern hemisphere and left in Southern hemisphere

northern hemisphere

where warm air near the equator rises and moves towards the pole

intertropical convergence zone

are where winds are relatively calm due to the trade winds converging

westerlies

leftover air that doesn’t descend at 30 N or 30 S , generated by air heated by solar radiation and rising at the equator, then cooled and dropping at ~30 degrees. causes tropics and deserts.

hadley cell

low latitude air movement towards the equator,

ferrel Cell

Mid-latitude atmospheric circulation cell

polar cells

Air rises, diverges, and travels toward the poles

wind

surface currents are dictated primarily by _____

depth contours

ocean currents are dictated primarily by _____

ekman spirals

clockwise/counter-clockwise spiral in the northern/southen hemispheres, driven by wind and earths rotation

thermohaline circulation

deep-ocean currents driven by differences in water density

global conveyor belt

exchange of high density cold water for low density warm water

upwelling

where water is heated and rises to the surface, helps to bring nutrients/CO2 from the bottom to the top

downwelling

occurs when wind causes surface water to build up along coastline

melting glacier

will slow down the conveyor belt by adding more freshwater and making mixing less likely

wave

result from forces acting on the water surface, enegry passing through water, NOT water itself moving

generating force

forces that act on the water and produce disturbances (waves)

restoring force

the force that returns water to an undisturbed state

ripples (capillary waves)

small wave where the restoring force in the water tension

gravity waves

a large wave that displaces lots of water, the restoring force is gravity

crest

peak height of the wave

wavelength

distance between two wave crests

trough

bottom of wave

wave height

distance from crest to trough

wind speed, duration, water depth, and fetch

four main factors influencing wave creation

ocean productivity

number of organisms that the ocean can support with food resources

hypoxic

areas that are considered dead-zones, high N-P content from fertilizers coming from land through lotic systems

lithosphere

area >11 km underground

hydrosphere

area containing all water ecosystems

atmosphere

area 8 km above ground

primary productivity

rate at which organic compounds are produced from inorganic materials

detritus

the initial cause of energy loss to the water column

marine snow

showers of small organic particles to deeper zones of the ocean

10

about _____% of energy is passed on through trophic levels

estuaries

partially closed off areas that receive constant freshwater input

kelp forests

cold water ecosystem with large brown algae

coral reefs

complex ecosystem with high biodiversity and lots of habitat

pelagic

zone consisting of all the water column, not associated with the shore or bottom

benthic

the bottom zone of a water body

neritic

zone that is near shore and close to the continental shelf

oceanic

zone that is offshore/non-neritic

economic exclusion zone (EEZ)

area that a county has access to the fisheries’ resources (~200km offshore)

heterogeneous

ocean environments are _____

microhabitat

very small habitat characterized by specific conditions

optimal range

area where an organism is most able to survive and reproduce

zone of physiological stress

area where an organism can be found, but its hard to survive and reproduce

zone of intolerance

area where an organism cannot survive or reproduce

phytoplankton

largest group of photosynthetic organisms in the ocean

ectothermic

organisms that maintain a similar body temperature to their environment

endothermic

organisms that generate their own heat

homeostasis

internal equilibrium that allows for bodily functions to occur

high

structural degradation and loss of function occur at _____ temperatures (more deadly)

low

slowing of reactions occurs at _____ temperatures (can be countered by compounds in blood)

habitat selection

often a compromise between temperature and physiological needs

salinity

concentration of dissolved inorganic salts in water

hypertonic

loosing water to the environment (too much salt)

hypotonic

gaining water from the environment (not enough salt)

osmoregulator

organism that can regulate their internal osmotic environment within a narrow range

senohaline

organisms that can only tolerate small changes in a solute concentration

euryhaline

organisms able to osmoregulate over a wide range of environmental conditions

oparin-haldane hypothesis

suggests that life arose gradually from inorganic molecules (amino acids formed complex polymers)

great oxidation event

occured ~2.5 billion years ago when photosynthesis began

oceanic crust

thinner (5-8km) crust that consists of basal rock and formed <200 million year ago

continental crust

thicker (30-70km) crust that consists of granite and formed 4 million years ago

subduction zone

area where old crust in recycled into the mantle/core

lithosphere

area of ridged plates separated by trenches, ridges, faults, and earthquakes

theory of plate tectonics

states that the youngest material is found closest to the borders of tectonic plates

riff communities

communities that don’t rely on sunlight, rather warmth and chemicals from crust riffs

bathyographic

physical features of the ocean bottom, change more slowly that topographic

continental shelf

a nearshore, relatively shallow extension of the continental crust covered by new sediment from erosion/deposition. often very productive

hydrogenous

sediments in water

biogenous

sediments from organisms

cosmogenous

sediments from space

lithogenous

sediments on the seafloor or land

water

naturally exists at all three states on earth, considered the universal solvent

gas

state of matter that is more soluble in cold water

charged particles

more soluble in warm water

hydrophilic

charged particles that are attracted to water and will dissolve easily

surface tension

phenomenon where water will pack more tightly at the surface due to its charge

65

_____% of light is absorbed withing the first meter of depth

1

_____% of light makes it past 100 meters

blue

wavelength that penetrates the deepest into the ocean

phytoplankton

more productive water appears green due to _____

viscosity

internal friction of a fluid (its resistance to change)

inertia

resistance of a body to a change in its state of motion

reynolds number

ratio of inertial forces to viscous forces, expressed as a number (water has value of 1)

friction drag

resistance caused by friction of a body moving through water

pressure drag

resistance caused by pressure differences from displacement of water during movement

freshwater

is less dense and will sit on the surface when melting/flowing in

salt water

is more dense and will sink to the bottom of a water body

3.5

the ocean has an average salinity of ~_____%, but varies from place to place

tide

the result of the gravitational pull of the moon and sun on the ocean

46

tidal force produced by the moon is _____% stronger than the sun

centrifugal force

balance the pull of the earth with its center mass acting opposite to gravitational forces

flood tide

level of tide where water rises up the shoreline

high tide

level of tide where water reaches its highest level

ebb tide

level of tide where tide reverses direction and retreats down the shoreline

low tide

level of tide where the water is at its lowest

semidiurnal

two high tides and two low tides each day, similar in magnitude, more common in the Atlantic and Indian

mixed semidiurnal

two high tides and two low tides, different in magnitude, more common in the Pacific