Quiz #2 – Lecture Study Guide
Seawater Chemistry
1. What is salinity? What is the average salinity in our ocean?
2. What are the 2 most abundant elements found in the ocean?
3. List the major constituents of seawater. INDICATE WHICH ARE ANIONS & CATIONS
4. Why is the ocean salty?
5. With regards to chemical constituents, what are differences between river water and seawater?
6. Why are calcium (Ca) and silica (Si) less abundant in ocean water than river water?
7. What are the sources of salts? Where did the cations come from and the anions?
8. Is the ocean getting saltier? Why or why not?
9. In what ways does salt leave the ocean?
10. What does the Principle of Constant Proportions state? How does this help us determine the amount of
salt present?
11. What are 2 ways of determining salinity?
12. Be able to calculate salinity and chlorinity using formula.
13. What factors affect salinity?
14. What does Residence Time mean?
15. Why are chlorine and sodium the most abundant elements in the ocean?
Dissolved Gases
16. What are some of the effects of salinity?
17. List 3 ways to get fresh H2O from salt H2O. Be able to explain each.
18. What are the major gases in seawater?
19. Why is Oxygen (O2) abundant at the surface of the ocean?
20. Between 200 m – 1,000 m depth, O2 is decreasing and CO2 is increasing. Give 2 reasons?
21. At depths greater than 1,000 m O2 increases slightly. Explain how this happens.
22. How does CO2 control acidity?
23. What contributes to the increase of CO2 with depth?
24. Explain how CO2 acts a carbonate buffering system.
25. Describe the gas cycle.
26. What are the major nutrients found in ocean water?
Heat
1. Why does heat vary along the equator to the poles –Why is it warmer at the poles than the equator.
2. What is orbital inclination?
3. Explain the different seasons.
4. Why is the earth not getting warmer
5. What is heat budget?
6. Where do we have areas of heat surplus ( answer in latitude)?
7. Where do we have areas of heat deficit (answer in latitude)?
8. What two ways is heat transferred from equator to poles?
9. Be able to explain how evaporation and precipitation rates affect salinity.
10. Know which latitudes where evaporation exceeds precipitation and which latitudes where precipitation exceeds
evaporation.
Deep Ocean Current (Density-driven)
1. How does salinity affect density? If water is more saline, is it more dense? Or less dense?
2. What happens to more dense water (sink or rise)?
3. What are the 3 water masses found in the Atlantic Ocean?
4. What 2 factors determine the thickness and extent of the 3 water masses found in Atlantic Ocean?
5. What is responsible for deep ocean currents?
6. What is upwelling? Downwelling?
7. Make a drawing showing how oceans become stratified. Explain drawing.
Atmosphere Circulation
1. What are convection currents? Be able to explain.
2. What is wind?
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
What is a warm front? Cold front?
How are winds named?
Be able to explain why air rises at equator and 60º, and why air sinks at 30º and poles.
What is the Coriolis Effect?
If you lived near the equator, would you travel faster or slower on Earth than someone who lived near the poles?
Which way are winds deflected in the northern hemisphere? Southern hemisphere?
Which way do winds circle around a high pressure in the northern hemisphere – clockwise or counter-clockwise?
Southern hemisphere?
10. What are the 3 main differences between cyclones and anticyclones?
11. With regards to daily coastal variations in wind, explain onshore flows and offshore flows.
Surface Water Currents (Wind-driven)
1. When winds blow, how much are surface waters deflected? What is the net water movement when you take all of
the wind vectors into account?
2. Which way is water deflected in the northern hemisphere? Southern hemisphere?
3. Be able to determine whether coastal areas (West Coast or East Coast) experience upwelling or downwelling with
northerly and/or southerly winds.
4. Know whether convergence (currents coming together) or divergence (currents moving apart) produces upwelling
or downwelling.
5. What are gyres?
6. In the Pacific Ocean, where do you find warm ocean currents? Cold ocean currents?
7. Why are gyres displaced to the west?
8. What is the difference between “Western Intensification” and “Eastern Currents”?
9. Be able to list 5 factors that influence an El Nino Year.