AMSO - Nautica

Question 1

Why does the Arabian Peninsula have a unique marine biodiversity?

Answer 1

• seasonal upwelling (causing some species to stop migrating -> humpback whale)
• natural culdesac, water cannot move northward in the Arabian Gulf

Question 2

Characteristics of the Arabian Gulf

Answer 2

shallow + heat -> a lot of evaporation

• no freshwater inputs, but nutrients are added which causes some areas to become eutrophic

Question 3

Characteristics of the Red Sea

Answer 3

• oligotrophic (nutrient poor)

- deeper than Arabian Gulf (much)

Question 4

Oligotrophic

Answer 4

nutrient poor

Question 5

JNCC

Answer 5

Joint Nature Conservation Committee (UK)

Question 6

Source of noise pollution underwater (biological, non-biological, and anthropogenic)

Answer 6

Biological:
- communication between species (mammals, fish, shrimps)

Non-biological:
- lightning, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions

Anthropogenic

• seismic exploration (+ VSP)
• pile driving
• explosives
• sonar
• dredging
• development

Question 7

What are the three main features of sound waves?

Answer 7

frequency, amplitude, and wavelength

Question 8

Frequency

Answer 8

the number of pressure waves that pass by a reference point overtime

• higher frequency = higher pitch

Question 9

Amplitude

Answer 9

the height of the sound waves

Question 10

Wavelength

Answer 10

distances between the peaks of sound waves

Question 11

Sound moves _ faster underwater

Answer 11

4 x

Question 12

Why does sound move faster in warmer water?

Answer 12

because the medium (water) is less dense

Question 13

_ refract sound allowing it to travel over even greater distances

Answer 13

thermoclines

Question 14

What are the loudest anthropogenic underwater sound sources?

Answer 14

sonar and seismic

Question 15

Seismic exploration

Answer 15

• used to find oil and gas in the sea bed + sediments
• sound is produced by seismic airguns, travels from the surface to the seabed, and then hydrophones receive the echo of the sounds

Question 16

VSP

Answer 16

Vertical seismic profiling (into a well-hole)

Question 17

Pile driving

Answer 17

placing a foundation into the sea bed, done during offshore development

Question 18

2 groups of whales

Answer 18

Mysticetes and Odontocetes

Question 19

Odontocetes

Answer 19

Toothed whales

Question 20

Mysticetes

Answer 20

Baleen whales

Question 21

Why is sound important for marine mammals?

Answer 21

prime sense

• communication
• hunting
• echolocations
• navigation

Question 22

Sharks and rays are attracted by _

Answer 22

low pulses, but deterred by loud sounds

Question 23

Masking

Answer 23

when noise pollution prevents marine animals from hearing and communicating properly

Question 24

Tissue damage in marine mammals from noise disturbances

Answer 24

• gas-filled tissue
• decompression sickness (N in tissue)
• growth of microscopic bubbles
• change in behaviour
• damaged hearing

Question 25

Like humans marine mammals have _ in their ears

Answer 25

hairs

Question 26

2 thresholds of damaged hearing from underwater noise pollution

Answer 26

temporary permanent

Question 27

Sharks and rays use _

Answer 27

electric and magnetic cues subsea cables and pipeline deployments attract some species

Question 28

ALAN

Answer 28

artificial light at night

Question 29

How are turtles disturbed by light pollution?

Answer 29

- nesting females look for the darkest beach spots - light may cause females to lay their eggs in less-favorable spots - the light produced by the moon also guides adults and hatchlings, ALAN may guide them in the wrong direction

Question 30

How are corals disturbed by light pollution?

Answer 30

disrupts the photosynthetic cycle of symbiotes

Question 31

Marine mammals are classified into 4 taxonomic groups:

Answer 31

1. Cetacea (mysticetes and odontocetes) 2. Sirenia (manatees and dugong) 3. Pinnipedia (seals and walruses) 4. Fissipedia (polar bears and marine otters)

Question 32

How many blow holes does a baleen whale have?

Answer 32

2

Question 33

How many blow holes does a toothed whale have?

Answer 33

1

Question 34

Ventral pleats

Answer 34

creases that run vertically down the underside of a whale's jaw all the way to its stomach. When feeding, the ventral pleats expand like an accordion to accommodate a huge amount of food-rich water

Question 35

What are the 5 dorsal fin shapes?

Answer 35

1. Falcate 2. Triangular 3. Humped 4. Rounded 5. Non-existant

Question 36

Rostrum

Answer 36

the upper jaw or “snout” of the whale.

Question 37

Caudal peduncle

Answer 37

one of a whale's strongest muscles, right before the fluke

Question 38

Fluke

Answer 38

whale tail

Question 39

A taller blow means a _ whale

Answer 39

larger

Question 40

What are some characteristics of mysticete feeding?

Answer 40

- jaw opens 90° | - when mouth is closed the whale's body is very streamline

Question 41

Which behavior in marine mammals indicates disturbance?

Answer 41

- turning away - shielding young - grouping together - suddenly diving or moving away - flipper, tail, or jaw slapping - dugongs swim in a figure of 8 and then make a sharp turn

Question 42

Carapace

Answer 42

hard, upper shell of a turtle

Question 43

Plastron

Answer 43

lower shell of a turtle

Question 44

5 marine turtles found around the Arabian Peninsula

Answer 44

Most common - green turtle - hawksbill turtle - loggerhead turtle - olive ridley turtle - leatherback turtle

Question 45

Coastal scutes

Answer 45

largest scutes on the carapace of a sea turtle

Question 46

Prefrontal scutes

Answer 46

number of scutes on a turtle's forehead

Question 47

turtles can't see _ light wavelengths

Answer 47

red

Question 48

Female turtles can _ _ more than once per season

Answer 48

successfully nest but also often have multiple nesting attempts until it is successful

Question 49

Elasmobranchs

Answer 49

sharks and rays (cartilaginous fish)

Question 50

What are the main sense of elasmobranchs?

Answer 50

smell and sensing magnetic fields | sharks and rays

Question 51

PAM

Answer 51

passive acoustic monitoring | - hydrophones used to detect and identify marine mammal vocalizations

Question 52

Exclusion zone (seismic surveys)

Answer 52

500m zone around the center of the source (air guns)

Question 53

Soft-start (seismic surveys)

Answer 53

slowly introducing sound into the environment (20-40 minutes)

Question 54

Pre-shooting search (seismic surveys)

Answer 54

30 - 60 minutes (depending on water depth) search before the soft-start to insure that no marine species are present

Question 55

What should be done when a turtle covered in barnacles is found?

Answer 55

DO NOT remove them, but place it in freshwater

Question 56

What should or should not be done when an injured turtle is found?

Answer 56

Do's - reduce stress and noice - cover the head and eyes - keep in shade - protect plastron (usually soft)(place towel under) - ensure that the turtle's head is above the surface - hold on the sides of the carapace - place turtle head first into water and let go - if a turtle is unconscious, place its hind legs higher so water is drained from the lungs and check its reflexes (eyes, flipper) Don'ts - remove encrustations - give food - throw nets back into ocean (ghost nets)