Salinity, ocean acidification, nutrients, seafloor spreading, sediments, trenches and hydrothermal vents.
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- What is salinity and how is it measured?
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The amount of dissolved salts per kilogram of seawater, typically measured in practical salinity units (psu) or parts per thousand (ppt).- What is the average salinity of the open ocean?
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Approximately 35 psu or 35 parts per thousand.- Which two ions are most abundant in seawater?
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Chloride and sodium ions.- How does salinity typically change with increasing depth?
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Salinity generally increases with depth, with less variation in deep water than in surface layers.- What is a halocline?
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A layer where salinity changes rapidly with depth.- What process increases surface salinity in arid regions?
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Evaporation removes freshwater, leaving dissolved salts behind.- What is ocean acidification?
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A decrease in ocean pH caused by absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which forms carbonic acid.- What is the current trend in ocean pH?
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Ocean pH is decreasing (becoming more acidic) due to increased CO2 emissions.- How does lower pH affect shelled organisms in the ocean?
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Lower pH reduces carbonate saturation, making it harder for organisms to build and maintain calcium carbonate shells and skeletons.- What is carbonate saturation state?
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A measure of how readily calcium carbonate will precipitate or dissolve in seawater, expressed as the ratio of carbonate ion concentration to saturation concentration.- Name the three major nutrients in seawater.
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Nitrogen (as nitrate), phosphorus (as phosphate), and silica (as silicate).- What is upwelling?
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The upward movement of deep, nutrient-rich water to the surface, typically caused by wind or ocean circulation.- Which nutrient most often limits primary productivity in the open ocean?
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Phosphorus, though nitrogen and iron can also be limiting in different regions.- What is the Redfield ratio?
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The ratio of carbon to nitrogen to phosphorus in marine organisms, approximately 106:16:1.- What removes nutrients from surface waters and carries them to the deep?
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Sinking of organic matter, a process called the biological pump.
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