Chemistry of Seawater

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31 Terms

1

What types of bonds form within a water molecule?

Polar covalent bonds.

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2

What types of bonds form between multiple water molecules?

Hydrogen bonds.

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3

What are the three major sub-atomic particles?

Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons.

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4

How do protons differ from neutrons?

Protons have 1 atomic mass unit and a positive charge; Neutrons have 1 atomic mass unit and are neutral.

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5

Why is water considered a polar molecule?

Water is polar due to uneven charge distribution, with oxygen having a partial negative charge and hydrogen a partial positive charge.

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6

What are ionic bonds?

Ionic bonds form when one atom donates an electron to another, creating oppositely charged ions that attract each other.

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7

What characterizes non-polar covalent bonds?

Non-polar covalent bonds occur when two atoms have similar electronegativity and share electrons equally.

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8

What defines polar covalent bonds?

Polar covalent bonds occur when atoms share electrons unequally, resulting in partial charges on atoms.

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9

What are hydrogen bonds?

Hydrogen bonds are weak attractions between slightly positive hydrogen atoms in one polar molecule and slightly negative atoms in another molecule.

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10

What is an isotope?

An isotope is a variant of an element with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.

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11

How is atomic mass calculated for isotopes?

By taking a weighted average based on the relative abundances of isotopes of the element.

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12

What is one important chemical property of water due to its polarity?

Frozen water is less dense than liquid water.

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13

How does high heat capacity benefit marine habitats?

It stabilizes ocean temperatures by absorbing large kinetic energy without a rapid rise in temperature.

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14

What does cohesion in water result in?

Surface tension, which creates a barrier that can slow gas exchange between water and the atmosphere.

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15

Why is water considered the universal solvent?

Water can dissolve many substances, facilitating biochemical reactions and nutrient distribution.

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16

What is the average speed of sound in seawater?

1500 m/s.

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17

How is heat transferred in the ocean?

Heat is transferred by conduction and convection among water molecules.

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18

What is the SOFAR channel?

A layer of water where sound waves travel long distances with minimal energy loss.

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19

What is transmission of energy?

Energy traveling through a medium without significant change.

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20

Define scattering of energy.

Redirection of energy in multiple directions due to interactions with particles.

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21

Use the Beers Law equation Iz = I0e-kz to determine the attenuation coefficient (k) given the data in the table below.

Depth

IO

IZ

3

1000

732

First, rearrange the equation to solve for K.

k = -ln(𝐼𝑧/𝐼0)/𝑧

Then plug in the data to solve for Iz/Io = 732/1000 = 0.73Take the natural log of Iz/Io = -0.31

Divide that value by the depth (3m) = -0.10

Multiply the value by -1 because of the negative sign in the equation. K = 0.10

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22

What causes light to attenuate in the ocean?

Attenuation is determined by the turbidity of the water, according to Beer’s Law.

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23

What are the two most abundant constituents in seawater?

Sodium (Na+) and Chloride (Cl-).

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24

What is the average ocean salinity?

35 parts per thousand (‰).

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25

What processes alter surface water salinity?

Precipitation decreases salinity; evaporation increases salinity.

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26

What happens to ocean salinity over time?

Salt ions can be removed or balanced by various chemical and biological processes.

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27

What is the difference between conservative and non-conservative chemical constituents of seawater?

Conservative constituents change due to physical processes; non-conservative constituents can change due to biological and chemical processes.

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28

What is the Redfield Ratio?

The relative concentrations of Carbon: Silica: Nitrogen: Phosphorous are 106:40:16:1.

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29

What is HNLC?

High Nutrient Low Chlorophyll, areas with high nutrients but low phytoplankton abundance.

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30

Describe the biological pump.

It transports carbon from the surface to the deep ocean, regulates atmospheric CO2 levels.

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31

What happens to the carbonate system when atmospheric CO2 increases?

More bicarbonate forms, and precipitation of CaCO3 becomes less favorable.

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