Effects Of Chaning Carbon Budget - Impacts On Oceans

Question 1

Name 5 impacts on the ocean ?

Answer 1

Ocean acidification.
Warming.
Melting sea ice.
Ocean salinity. 
Sea level rise

Question 2

How much co2 has ocean absorbed through direct chemical exchange?

Answer 2

30%

Question 3

What substance does dissolving carbon dioxide in ocean create?

Answer 3

Carbonic acid.

Question 4

What does the creation of carbonic acid do to ocean?

Answer 4

More acidic.

Question 5

Evidence of ocean acidification.

Answer 5

Since 1750 the pH of oceans surface has fell by 0.1 , 30% change in acidity.

Question 6

What is the impact of ocean acidification having?

Answer 6

It’s largely unknown.

Exception of coral reefs.

Question 7

How does more co2 in ocean affect marine organisms?

Answer 7

Carbonic acid reacts with carbonate ions to form bicarbonate.
These carbonate ions help species like planktonic species need calcium to create shells.
With less carbonate available, animals expand more energy building shells but also become fragile to corrosive water.

Question 8

Why are coral feels important?

Answer 8

Food
Jobs
Security
For 500 million people worldwide

Question 9

How does ocean acidification harm coral reefs?

Answer 9

Loss of reef.
Marine biodiversity.
Reduced food.
Reduced capacity of coastlines to buffer the impact of sea level rise - storms

Question 10

How does ocean acidification impact polar and sub polar marine ecosystems.

Answer 10

Low in carbonate ions becoming corrosive to shells and skeletons.

Question 11

Give evidence that ocean acidification is causing harm?

Answer 11

2007 farmer oyster larvae in USA started dying by the millions due to increasing acidity of ocean.
Caging loss of product / money / livelihoods

Question 12

How can ocean acidification be positive?

Answer 12

More acidic , better it dissolved calcium carbonate rocks (chalk)
Meaning over time ocean can absorb excess co2 as more acidic water will dissolve more rock, release more carbonate ions.

Question 13

So name 3 things ocean acidification impacts.

Answer 13

Marine organism.
Polar and sub polar regions.
Coral reefs

Question 14

Name a negative of ocean warming?

Answer 14

Decrease abundance of phytoplankton which grow better in cool nutrient rich waters.

Question 15

Why is it a bad thing if there isn’t as much phytoplankton in the ocean ?

Answer 15

Limits oceans ability to take carbon from atmosphere through biological carbon pump.
Not as good as carbon sink .

Question 16

How is ocean warming a good thing?

Answer 16

More plants.

More co2 could increase their growth by fertilising ocean grasses that take carbon dioxide directly from water.

Question 17

How is ocean warming harming coral reefs?

Answer 17

Killing symbiotic algae which coral needs to grow, leaving to bleaching and death of reefs

Question 18

Give evidence that sea ice is melting in artic?

Answer 18

In the last 35 years satellites monitored sea ice retreated 40%

Question 19

What kind of feedback does sea ice melting generate?

Answer 19

Positive feedback.

As highly reflective sea ice melts and is replaced by more sunlight - amplifies warming

Question 20

How does sea ice melt affect organisms?

Answer 20

Algae which live in ice.

Which impacts predators up food chain - Krill / seals.

Question 21

How does sea ice melt affect polar bears?

Answer 21

They rely on sea ice to get to main food sources.

Question 22

Where has there been an observed reduction in salinity?

Answer 22

Deep North Atlantic

Question 23

Why has there been an increase in ocean salinity?

Answer 23

Higher levels of precipitation/ higher temp levels.

Question 24

What does higher precipitation do to ocean salinity?

Answer 24

Higher river run offs that eventually reach sea.

More fresh water.

Question 25

What does higher temp do to ocean salinity?

Answer 25

Melting Greenland ice sheet and many alpine glaciers more fresh water reaching oceans.

Question 26

What evidence suggests that sea level rise was one lower?

Answer 26

Coastal land forms

Question 27

When was the last glacial retreat and what happened?

Answer 27

10,000 years ago.
This led to worldwide rise in sea level.
This increase was caused by melting of land locked freshwater ices

Question 28

What has research told us about sea level rise worldwide?

Answer 28

Been rising at a rate of 3,5 mm year since early 1990s

Question 29

Name 2 causes of sea level rise ?

Answer 29

Melting of terrestrial ice

Thermal expansion

Question 30

What impacts are higher temps having on terrestrial ice?

Answer 30

More summer melting.
Drop in snowfall.
Shorter winters.
net gain of water entering oceans from rivers against evaporation from ocean.
Antarctica/ Greenland also moving too quickly towards oceans due to increased amount of meltwater lubricating bases.

Question 31

What is thermal expansion ?

Answer 31

When water heats up, it expands.

Occupying greater volume in basin.

Question 32

What will sea level rise be like in 2100?

Answer 32

0.8 and 2m