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GES 401 > White's Lectures > Flashcards

White's Lectures Flashcards

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1
Q

Reservoir Sizes in Order

A

Oceans > ice caps/glaciers > groundwater > lakes > rivers

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2
Q

How much of Ocean is Deep Water

A

95%

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3
Q

Summary of Solar Radiation

A

Solar radiation heats the Earth unevenly.

The amount absorbed varies with latitude (more in equator, less in higher latitudes

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4
Q

Global Energy Balance Summary

A

Incident solar energy must be balanced by the amount of energy loss to space.

SST: Heat in - Heat Out

At the equator, incident is greater than heat loss

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5
Q

Source of Salt ions

A

Continental weathering
Release of matter from planet’s interior

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6
Q

What is average Salinity and why are there variations?

A

35

imbalance between precipitation and evaporation

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7
Q

What are the 2 circulation types and what are they driven by?

A
  1. Surface water: winds
  2. Deep Water: temperature and density gradients
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8
Q

What is wind direction and water motion controlled by ?

A

Friction between atmo. & underlying sea surface

Configuration of continental masses and oceanic basins

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9
Q

Surface Mixed Layer Stratification

A

15-300 m
18-30˚C
Temperature and salinity are both constant due to physical mixing by wind and waves

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10
Q

Region of Rapid Change Stratification

A

Depth varies depending on environment
Temperature and salinity rapidly changes (T decreases, S increases)

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11
Q

Deep Water Stratification

A

Temperature and density (or salinity) is constant
Mean temperature of deep ocean is 3˚C

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12
Q

What does thermal stratification prevent?

A

mixing of surface and deep waters

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13
Q

How does thermohaline circulation work?

A

Polar oceans (high latitudes)

Winter: fresh water freezes out of surface water, makes water saltier/colder/higher density seawater which sinks to the deep ocean (downwelling)

Summer: ice melts causing surface waters to be less dense and more stable, less downwelling

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14
Q

Global Conveyor Belt

A

New deep water formed in the higher latitudes
Upwelling occurs in the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans
Coasts as well

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15
Q

What are 2 important factors in Deep waters

A
  1. nutrient rich
  2. CO2 more soluble in colder waters
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16
Q

What is MRT, and what does it stand for

A

Mean Residence Time,

MRT = reservoir quantity/ flux

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17
Q

How can Tr times be found?

A

transient tracers

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18
Q

What are the residence times of diff oceans from carbon dating

A

Atlantic Oceans: 275 years
Pacific Oceans : 510 years ( bc bigger)

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19
Q

What are the top 5 ions in ocean?

A

Sodium
Magnesium
Calcium
Potassium
Strontium

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20
Q

What are the 8 processes that remove ions from seawater?

A

CBBDEHRR

Cyclic Sea Salts
Burial
Biogenic Removal
Deposition
Evaporites
Hydrothermal Vents
River borne clays
Reverse Weathering

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21
Q

How is most Na and Cl removed?

A

pore water burial, sea spray, evaporite

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22
Q

How is Mg2+ removed?

A

Hydrothermal vents

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23
Q

How are Ca2+ and SO42- removed?

Study These Flashcards
A

deposition in biogenic sediment

24
Q

How is K removed?

Study These Flashcards
A

Clay mineral exchange, reverse weathering

25
What happens to sequestered ions?
ocean sediments subducted into the mantle nonvolatile: melted under pressure and converted into primary silicate minerals Volatile: released as volcanic gases
26
Basic Defintion of El Nino
year to year variation in ocean currents that can affect biogeochem and global climate
27
where does El Nino occur?
central pacific ocean
28
brief description of El Nino
normal : tradewinds e-->w displaced warm surface waters in E pacific drives upwellingof cold bottom waters along the west coast of S and N america. 3-5 years the surface transport breaks down into ENSO, fisheries collapse
29
What are effects of El Nino
less nutrients being upwelled, fisheries collapse
30
is rainfall high or low during El Nino
above average, dry by the end, and driest 1/2 year later. water supply decrease leads to other issues
31
What happens during La Nina
upwelling of deep water = lower atmo temp over N hemisphere--> increased Co2 release to atmo from upwelling
32
Consequences of El Nino-La Nina cycles
- add variation to global temp, difficult to perceive GH affect - el Nino: more rainfall at a peak with lessening following positive ENSO indices - weaker trades, warmer waters, increased storm following transition from El Nino
33
what drives the formation of central gyres and upwelling
wind driven surface currents
34
what causes ENSO
changes in surface current and upwelling patterns--> global climate change
35
What are important uses of Carbon
-building blocks of biomass -GHG effect -influence acidity of ocean (pH) -distribution of CO2 species affects preservation of CaCo3 deposit on the sea floor
36
what are CO2 emissions
compressed, decayed bodies of phytoplankton
37
brief explanation of ocean acidification
-1/2 of of anthropogenic CO2 exists in the upper 400 m of the ocean -CO2 reacts with water and causes release of H+, decreases pH (more acidic)
38
what are primary producers
-small, reproduce rapidly, consumed whole -most planktons are so small, water is more viscous and diffusion drives nutrients to cells suspension feeding is common
39
summary of primary production
mainly along coasts ( nutrient runoff and input) not in gyres bc of stratification and no nutrients most marine DOC is derived from marine photosynthesis
40
Basic Nitrogen facts
-an essential limiting nutrient -range of valence states -microbial reactions drive the N cycle
41
Nitrogen Reservoirs in order
Atmosphere > Soil Organic Matter > Terrestrial biomass > Total Oceans > Ocean Dissolved N2 gas > Ocean biota
42
What is the most abundant form of N?
N2 in atmosphere
43
what does "fixed " mean
oxidized
44
What is the reverse of nitrogen fixation?
Denitrification
45
what is annual terrestrial requirement of N ?
1200 x 10^12 g N/year
46
What is Nitrogen Fixation? (oceanic)
aerobic prokaryotic metabolisms occurring in well lit surface waters
47
What is oceanic denitrification?
anaerobic metabolism whereas certain microbes use NO3 as an electron acceptor to respire organic matter in suboxic zones
48
what is the carbonate saturation depth ?
depth at which the dissolution of calcium carbonate beings or the depth at which seawater is undersaturated wrt calcium carbonate
49
What is Carbonate compensation depth (ccd)?
the depth where the downward flux of carbonate balances the rate of dissolution, so there are no carbonate sediments
50
Why is the pacific more acidic than the atlantic?
plz answer
51
The differences between aragonite and calcite
- both forms of calcium carbonate -different solubilities -aragonite is less stable in acid
52
Differences between aragonite and calcite saturation depths
aragonite saturation depths are shallowed than calcite bc of higher solubility of aragonite
53
Why are there differences between pacific/Atlantic ocean for CaCo3 preservation?
- pacific is more corrosive due to higher Co2 concentrations -longer Tr , picks ups shit along the way
54
Explain nutrient cycling in the ocean
- NPP limited bc of nutrient availability -nutrients stripped by dead animals and shit -surface ocean Tr of N, P, Si is less than deep water bc non-conservative, biogeochem -nutrients regenerated in the deep ocean ( microbe resp) -Pac Ocean con > Atlantic bc older
55
Definition of Conservative Element
-non reactive -remain long time -K, Na, S, Cl , Br, Sr , B
56
Definition of Non Conservative Element
reactive C, P, Fe
57

GES 401 (1 decks)

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