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Oceanography final
n/a
161
Geology
Undergraduate 1
03/09/2009

Additional Geology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
earth's structure: chemical
Definition
crust, mantle and core all have different rocks than each other
Term
earth's structure: phyiscal
Definition
lithosphere (continent and oceanic), athenospheric mantle, lower mantle, outer and inner core
Term
oxygen
Definition
produced in the photic zone by photosynthesis, top 100 m. net consumption below photic zone by respiration,
Term
carbon dioxide
Definition
goes easily into ocean, slowly from ocean to atmosphere because it is used in photosynthesis and released with respiration. dissolved CO2 is not common, most in carbonates or seds
Term
biological nutrients
Definition
needed for organic processes and skeletal growth, consumed in photic zone, lots in deep waters due to bacterial break down of dead shit, up welling transports
Term
Troposphere
Definition
10 km high, weather layer, most of atmospheres mass
Term
properties of air
Definition
warm air expands, less dense than cold. solubility increases with temp, warm air can store more water vapor
Term
vertical atmosphere structure
Definition
air decompresses with elevation above sea level, decompression lowers temp, while compression raises it
Term
potential air temp
Definition
temperature of air if it were at sea level; remains mostly constant
Term
vertical atmosphere variation
Definition
well-mixed air has uniform potl T., so its neither positively or negatively buoyant. convection occurs when there are gradients in the potl T
Term
cloud formation
Definition
rising air expands and cools, t decreases while potl T remains constant. H20 vapor is released and condenses into clouds. lowering air compresses and warms it, increases temp so clear skies
Term
solar heating of atmosphere
Definition
max along equator, min at poles (convection cell heated at equator, air rises, then cools at the poles and sinks
Term
surface pressures
Definition
surface flow tries to go from high to low, so you would predict air movement is predominantly from poles to equator however its not cause coriolis
Term
the Coriolis Effect
Definition
causes a particle to curve, because of the rotation of earth, motions are deflected to their right in the northern hemispheres, max at poles, 0 at equator
Term
Large scale circulation
Definition
coriolis effect breaks up atmosphere into three convection cells per hemisphere, without rotation the flow of air would go from high to low, with rotation tries to go h to l, but deflected
Term
tradewinds
Definition
come from the east
Term
westerlies
Definition
come from the west
Term
surface pressure and weather
Definition
low pressure: ascending air adn cloud formation (because the airs is cooling and losing water) high pressure: descending air and clear skies
Term
ocean currents
Definition
surface are wind driven, while deep ocean are density driven
Term
wind and currents
Definition
ocean gyres follow prevailing winds, without continents surface currents would flow along latitudinal belts (like Jupiter) continents break flow and force it to gyrate around the basin
Term
Ekman transport
Definition
air from westerlies pushes water down, while air form the trade winds pushes water up. the water meets in the middle, creating a high middle (1-2 km higher) in the gyres, resulting in a clockwise gyre flow in northern hemisphere
Term
ekman transport #2
Definition
basically water is moved from the air because of coriolis
Term
western boundary currents
Definition
fastest, deepest currents, equatorial currents are deflected to high latitudes by continental boundaries, transport heat to high latitudes (less than 100 km wide, 1-2 km deep, flow rate: 100km/day)
Term
eastern boundary currents
Definition
shallow, broad, slow currents, return flow to equator, transport cold water to the equator (greater than 1000 km wide, less than .5 km deep, moves around 10 km of water per day)
Term
western intensification
Definition
coriolis increases with latitude, leading to an off center hill of water in the gyre (tradewinds don't push as much), the hill squeezes water between it and the continent leading to faster currents
Term
antarctic circumpolar current
Definition
winds drive eastward flow around Antarctica, largest ocean current volume in the world, no continents in the way, effects ocean floor at 5 km
Term
Upwellings and downwellings
Definition
caused by convergence/divergence of water, driven by ekman transport (winds pulling water together/away from each other) adn gravity flows
Term
equatorial divergence
Definition
coriolis causes divergence away from the equator resulting in an upwelling flow all around
Term
downwelling flows
Definition
centers of ocean gyres are mostly downwelling, ekman transport forces fluid either into center (downwelling) or out to the sides (upwelling)
Term
coastal upwelling
Definition
ekman transport away from shoreline forces upwelling
Term
west coast
Definition
north to south winds drive down cold air/water from north plus coastal upwellings leads to cold summers
Term
east coast
Definition
south to north winds drives warm air/water from Gulf of Mexico/equator, hot humid summers
Term
Marine layer and June gloom
Definition
cold upwelling waters produce a thin low-laying could layer on ocean surface which flows onto land by night
Term
Antarctic upwellings
Definition
called antarctic divergence, dense sinking waters and ekman transport away from current result in intense upwelling with high bioproductivity
Term
Thermohaline Circulation
Definition
slow subsurface current, not wind driven, 90% of the ocean's water is involved, caused by temp/salinity (density) differneces, driving force is gravity
Term
water masses
Definition
dense water produced by surface conditions, and locked in once out of contact with atmosphere
Term
central waters (water mass)
Definition
surface to 1000m
Term
intermediate waters (mass classification
Definition
central waters to 2000m, pycnocline
Term
deep waters (mass classification)
Definition
to ocean bottom, tend to form under convergent centers of subtropical gyres, but most deep water is produced in the Weddell Sea (anarctica) adn the north atlantic
Term
deep water: Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW)
Definition
formation of sea ice concentrates salt in the cold, unfrozen water, increasing salinity and density and lowing the freezing point, sinks into the antarctic circumpolar current and goes throughout the world (59% of water)
Term
deep water: North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW)
Definition
low temps and high rate of evaporation produce cold saline water mass which sinks to the bottom and flows south, eventually mixing with the AABW
Term
North Atlantic
Definition
where new deep water forms, higher 02 and lower co2 and nutrients, higher salinity, deeper CCD
Term
North Pacfic
Definition
old deep waters surface, lower O2, higher CO2 and nutrients, shallower CCD
Term
deep water circulation and climate
Definition
deep circulation moves heat globally, without sinking flows only the surface mixed layer would be warm, with sinking flows heat is distributed throughout out the water column
Term
wind driven surface currents
Definition
mostly steady, long lived, transport masses of water
Term
waves
Definition
traveling disturbances through water, water not moved, but energy is transmitted, water is the medium through which it flows, produced by time varying winds
Term
orbital motions
Definition
as water waves pass by, water locally moves in quasi-circular orbits
Term
wave crest
Definition
highest point
Term
wave trough
Definition
lowest point of wave
Term
wave hight (H)
Definition
vertical distance between crest and trough
Term
wave length (L)
Definition
horizontal distance between successive crest or troughs
Term
still water level
Definition
water level with not motion present
Term
water depth (D)
Definition
depth to ocean bottom from still water level
Term
wave steepness (H/L)
Definition
wavehight divided by wave lenght
Term
wave speed
Definition
wave period (T): elapsed time during the passage of one wave of wavelenght L, aka frequency (wave cycle per second), wave speed (S): L/T, wavelenght divided by wave period
Term
orbital motion #2
Definition
circular motion leads to very little energy dissipation, waves can propagate opver long distances with little loss in energy, orbital diameter decreases with depth
Term
deep water waves
Definition
ocean bottom doesn't effect wave, D>1/2L, wave speed increases with wave lenght
Term
shallow water waves
Definition
ocean bottom effects the waves, forcing them into an elliptical shape which is less efficient D<1/20L
Term
bottom and shallow water waves
Definition
S increases with D, the shallower the water, the slower the water travels
Term
wind-drive ocean waves
Definition
storm conditions generate waves, maximum wave size depends on fetch(distance the wind blows to generate waves), duration(how long the wind blows), and wind speed
Term
wind-sea:
Definition
the region where waves are generated by storm conditions, longer fetch and duration: more developed seas
Term
fully-developed seas
Definition
when seas reach max state of development for the given conditions (aka the wind blows long enough across the fetch to produces the biggest waves)
Term
swell
Definition
waves outside the wind-sea region, no long actively forced by wind
Term
breaking waves
Definition
break when teh critical angle of wave crest is 120 degrees, if you make the waves any steeper, water at the top of the wave spill down the wave face
Term
waves at the shore
Definition
when waves get close to the shore, the wave base interacts with the ocean water, the crests travel further than the troughs causing the waves to break
Term
wave shoaling
Definition
the transition from deep to shallow water waves, when waves hit the edge of the mediums boundaries the energy from teh wave can generate currents
Term
spilling breaker
Definition
weak bottom slope, falls slower, graceful
Term
plunging breaker
Definition
steep bottom slope, falls very fast
Term
surging breaker
Definition
steepest, reflects back into ocean
Term
near shore waves
Definition
reflection:reversal in direction due to a boundary, interference: interaction (constructive/destructive), refraction: bending due to changing wave speed with location (waves bend toward shallowest water)
Term
waves in the ocean (smallest to largest)
Definition
wind waves (L<1km), seiches (basin scale sloshing wave), tsunamis, tides (shallow water waves, L>100 km)
Term
tides
Definition
the natural rise and fall of sea level in response to gravitational pull of moon
Term
tide generating forces
Definition
gravity = stronger on the moon side of the planet, centrifugal force stronger on opposite side, creates tidal bulges on near and far sides of earth
Term
moonrise
Definition
monthly revolution of moon, takes 50 min longer each day to catch up to spot it was the night before because the earth is also spinning
Term
Lunar and solar tides
Definition
wave interference between solar and lunar tides, spring tide = constructive, neap tide = destructive, solar tide is 2/5 the power of lunar
Term
obliquity and tides
Definition
earth's obliquity is 23.5 degrees, so the tidal bulge doesn't line up exactly with the equator, high lats one high tide, mid lat they are mixed, equator high tide is twice a day
Term
Tsunamis
Definition
seismic sea waves, drive by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions or under water landslides, intersection of plate tectonics and ocean wave generation
Term
Tsunami generation
Definition
at subduction zones when lithosphere makes over riding plate snap back, the whole sea responds
Term
tsunami development
Definition
in open ocean, only 1 meter hihg and moving too slowly to be felt, danger comes from reaching the shore when they are intensified and break, but unlike other waves they keep traveling inland in sets of 2 or 3 crests
Term
tsunami warning signs
Definition
when the sea draws back from the plate slipping at first. don't go check out the exposed land, run away!
Term
Sea food watch Salmon
Definition
atlantic farmed raised:avoid because if they escape they threaten wild fish, parasites can spread and waste is dumped into ocean, plus chemicals
alaskan wild: best because of the extremely good management
Term
Sea Food Watch: Tuna
Definition
yellowfin: avoid because overfishing and catching by purse and sein fleets
bluefin: avoid because high demand has seriously overfished them and longline fishing methods have big bycatch
Term
sea food watch: Halibut
Definition
best because Most Pacific halibut are caught with bottom longlines with little habitat damage and low accidental catch. The Pacific halibut fisheries of Alaska, Washington and Oregon are certified as sustainable to the standard of the Marine Stewardship Council
Term
sea food watch: Orange Roughy
Definition
avoid because they take 20 years to reproduce, overfished, and bottom trawling damages sea floor
Term
sea food watch: Chilean Sea Bass
Definition
avoid because Avoid Chilean seabass as it is overfished. Most are caught using bottom longlines, which lead to bycatch of seabirds, most notably endangered albatross
Term
sea food watch: Swordfish
Definition
us longline: good alternative because its found throughout the oceans, not well managed with bad techniques
imported: avoid because worse bycatch than US
Term
sea level change
Definition
local effects: tectonic forces, isostatic adjustment global effects: ocean volume change (hot spots, sea floor spreading rates) global ice volume changes, global temp variations
Term
coastal environment: estuaries
Definition
geologically young, semi-enclosed bodies containing mis of fresh and sea water. drowned river valleys, tectonic control. areas of high bioproductivity
Term
barrier islands
Definition
narrow sedimentary islands, typically form near sources of sediment, with changing sea levels, cut off sand pits, and along passive margins, geologically young, rapidly changing
Term
erosional coasts
Definition
sea cliffs, new and/or strong coasts in which material is removed by erosion. formed by tectonic uplift. rocky cliffs with very narrow beaches from erosional debris being swept off shore and not beaten into sand.
Term
depositional coasts
Definition
slowly growing by accumulation of sediments
Term
sea cliffs
Definition
erosional coasts, due to undercutting by sea water
Term
sea caves: erosional coasts
Definition
formed by weakest material, headlands formed by strongest
Term
shore straightening
Definition
wave refraction leads to increase erosion of headlands eventually straightening irregular coast line
Term
depostional coasts part 2
Definition
sedimentary not rocky, dominated by broad sandy beaches, thick layer of deposited sediments can buffer from erosion, erosional can evolve into depositional with the slowing of sea level change and tectonic activity
Term
east vs west estuaries
Definition
because of tectonic uplift on the west only 20% of the coastline are estuaries while 80% of the east is
Term
beach
Definition
extremely active coastal ares, contantly changing, beaches advance/retreat with sea level, materials depend on wave energy and source
Term
beach terms
Definition
swash zone: covered/uncovered with each wave, foreshore zone: covered/uncovered with each tidal cycle, berm: sand beyond high-tide shoreline, longshore bar: bar of sand located near wave break
Term
summer swell (beaches)
Definition
no big storms, low wave energy transports sand toward shore, broad finely grained berm, relatively steep beach face
Term
winter storm (beaches)
Definition
poles cold, equator warm, lots of convection and storms, high wave activity rips sand from beach and dumps it beyond surf zone, eroded berm, shallow pebbly beach
Term
long shore currents
Definition
run parallel to beach due to slightly oblique angle of wave approach, zig-zag transport of seds along beaches
Term
rip currents
Definition
run perpendicular to beach, waves pile up water on the beach, when there is a weak wave set the water rushes back out to sea in jets
Term
coastal littoral cells
Definition
beach compartments, eahc begins with an eroded headland and ends with a submarine canyon, sediments are carried by longshore currents from teh headlands to the canyons and the bottom of the ocean, large cells at passive margins, most of the transport is from poles to equator
Term
beach stabilization (doesn't work)
Definition
redirection of wave energy: breakwaters (out from shore) seawalls at shore line
redirection of longshore transport: groin outward from beach, piles up sand on one side, jetties at mouth of rivers
Term
primary productivity
Definition
amount of inorganic carbon (CO2) that autotrophs "fix" into organic compounds, 120 gC per year
Term
primary level of food chain
Definition
plankton: drifting/weakly swimming, flow with horizontal currents, small cause its easier to float in photic zone, takes very little energy
Term
phytoplankton
Definition
majority of plant life, drifting unicellular algea, dominate organism in the ocean, 4000 species and growing
Term
diatoms
Definition
most common phytoplankton, evolved recently, silica (glass rich shells), extremely efficient (55%) photosynthetic conversion rate, ares of high bioproductivity and sunlight
Term
coccolithophores
Definition
leading calcite producers, formed from tiny, thrive in warm water with low nutrients and low light, max at 100 m in clear tropical waters
Term
primary consumers: Zooplankton
Definition
capable of some movement, holoplankton: permanently planktonic, meroplankton, temporarily plankton (larvae)
Term
copepod
Definition
crustacean: 5-15 mm, voracious filter feeder, key food for larger plankton
Term
measuring bioproductivity
Definition
colorimetry, green color correlated with primary productivity, this estimation is in good agreement with "weighting" the uptake of inorganic carbon, but a lot of scatter
Term
primary production land vs ocean
Definition
ocean 120 gC/m2/yr, land 150 gC/m2/yr, ocean isn't an infinite food source, same basic supply even though the turnover time is much shorter with large, rapid swings
Term
regions of highest bioproductivity
Definition
continental margins, upwelling (Ekman pumping) and vertical mixing, close to rivers, divergences
Term
regions of lowest bioproductivity
Definition
interiors of subtropic gyres (convergences), water is most stably stratified, little/no vertical mixing, deserts of the ocean
Term
photic zone
Definition
coastal waters have more seds and nutrients, higher productivity, open ocean, clear water, less productive
Term
zonation by lighting
Definition
photic zone: lit by sun 100-500m, euphotic zone: profitable photosynthesis (75m), disphotic zone: twilight (75-100m), aphotic zone, no light
Term
Nhemi seasonal variations
Definition
winter = nutrients (mixing from storms), low sun. spring=nutrients and light leads to spring bloom. summer=warming water stops upwelling, no nutrients. fall=increased mixing, low sun
Term
invertebrates
Definition
sponges, (nettles) coral, jellies, anemones, worms: flat, rough, segmented, molluscs: snails, bivalves, cephalopds, anthropods: copepod, crabs, shrimp, echinoderms: sea stars, urchins
Term
nekton
Definition
swimmers, jawless fish (flexible snake like bodies, no appendages for movement, survive by sucking on wounds, eat out interior, include hagfish and lamprays)
Term
sharks and rays
Definition
at least 280 Mya, 700 species, skates and rays are benthic, sharks pelagic, cartilage, rough sand paper skin, largest fish, no gas bladders so have to constantly swim
Term
boney fish
Definition
30,000 living species, most diverse, swim bladder, used to maintain position in the water column, hinged tailed for more efficient forward motion, gills extract O2 from the water
Term
muscles: lungers
Definition
catch prey with quick movements, white muscle fiber good for short bursts
Term
muscles: cruisers
Definition
constantly swim, white and red muscle fibers, red are smaller cells, myoglobin, metabolize faster, long periods at high speeds
Term
survival methods
Definition
colorization, countershading (bright bottom, dark top), schooling...no leader, high speed communication, allows them to appear largers, harder to surprise, mating, no singling out by predators
Term
marine birds
Definition
evolved from small dinos, light weight adaptations and big eaters, lay eggs on land, only 3% of birds are marine species
Term
marine mammals
Definition
50 Mya returned to ocean, streamlined body, large size and efficient insulation, modified respiratory system for rapid inhalation and exhalation and retention of O2, generate fresh water internally through respiration
Term
coastal marine mammals
Definition
recently adapted to ocean, sea cows, dugongs (huge sea cows), otter, sea lions, seals, walruses
Term
cetaceans
Definition
whales and dolphins, 76 species, evolved from hoofed mammals, large brains, complex social groupings, use sound to communicate over large distances
Term
cephalopods
Definition
invertebrates, molluscs, "head-foot", squid octopus, cuttlefish, natilus, most evolved of the moluscs, nektobenthic lifestyle
Term
beginnings
Definition
meroplankon (larval stage), nekton as adults
Term
biology of cepalopods
Definition
3 hearts, 2 for passing blood through gills, 3rd for blood to body, blue blood (copper based) can change color very rapidly
Term
cephalopod blood
Definition
hemocyanin: only natural copper protein that combines reversibly with oxygen, not as efficient, O2 capacity of blood is low. explains need for three hearts, high metabolic rates and short lives
Term
cephalopod eye
Definition
camera eye, similar to ours, but were not really related so the design must be good, see polarization of light, esophogaus goes directly through their brain to their stomach
Term
cephalopod feeding style
Definition
capture prey with arms, sharp beak, 15-20% of mass per day, benthic, nocturnal hunting
Term
cephalopod survival skills
Definition
camouflage: color and texture, skin muscles allow for texture, inking, squeeze into small spaced, autotomizing limbs (self amputation)
Term
cephalopod communication
Definition
chormatophores (neuromuscular cell with large pigment filled compartment) allows for non-hormonal color variation of skin and thus communication, optical lobes decide visual patter, low-level chromatophore lobes exectue pattern, allows for complex visual signaling
Term
cephalopod intellegence
Definition
rapid assessment and complex response to stimli, intellegence similar to cats and dogs, long and short term memories with limitations due to short life span, 2/3 of neutrons located in arms, very fast reactions, giant nerve fibers in mantle
Term
fisheries
Definition
increased demand mechanized fleets coupled with natural predation leads to decrease in commercial catches, overfishing is causing some to collapse, limited knowledge of fish biology-ecology limits management
Term
predator-prey model
Definition
predators increase with prey, then prey collapses and then predators drop off and then prey regrows
Term
gillnetting
Definition
curtain of suspended netting floating at the top, almost invisible to marine life, head to fish goes through, gills get stuck, imprecise, lots of bycatch
Term
purse seine netting
Definition
net encircles school of fish, bottom closed, trapping fish inside, sardine, herring, mackerel, tuna, bycatch = dolphins and turles
Term
trawling
Definition
drag cone shaped net behind boat, mid-water and benthic nets
Term
longlining
Definition
central fishing line 80 km long, strung with bait fish from hooks, lines "soak" and then are hauled in (targets pelagic)
Term
trolling
Definition
long rods pull fishing lines behind boats, selectively takes faster fish that can track a moving lure
Term
pole and line
Definition
catch and haul, often use a bait boat to set up a feeding frenzy
Term
traps and pots
Definition
baited cages, entrance with baited "kitchen" and "parlor" with escape vents for undersized catch
Term
maximum sustainable yield
Definition
max harvest that won't irreparable harm future generations, global estimate is 100-135 million tons, we have already reached it
Term
overfishing
Definition
when a stock has been harvest to the point that there is not enough breeding stock to replenish species, 45% of species in the US are overfished, fisheries response is to build bigger and better fleets, not to manage
Term
economic sustainability
Definition
fisheries highly subsidized because of jobs, industry is connect to gov
Term
fishing down the food web
Definition
catch has migrated down the web to lower trophic levels over the past 50 years, undercuts global food pyramid, makes it almost impossible for the upper levels to rebuild
Term
summary:geology
Definition
ocean basins are a product of plate tectonics, sediments reflect depositional environment, layers tell earth's history
Term
summary: seawater properties/chemicals
Definition
water is the key to all life on earth, highest heat capacity (except ammonia), buffers temp on planet, polar molecule, J bonds lead to high melting/vapor temps and great solvent
Term
summary: physical oceanography
Definition
atmospheric circulation drives quasi-steady ocean currents, density driven thermohaline circulation in the deep ocean, gusting winds generate wind waves, tidal pull of moon and sun generates tides
Term
summary: biological oceanography
Definition
plankton:base of ocean food chain (photic zone photosynthesis), benthos: bottom dwellers, nekton: swimmers, continental margins are lush, pelagic:lush at upwelling/mixed zones
Term
average ocean
Definition
4000m, 70% of the planet
Term
summary:plate tectonics
Definition
ocean basin formation and evolution:plate tectonics, oceans sit within 4 km deep basins which form because denser oceanic crustal lithosphere sinks deeper into the mantle
Term
summary:ocean sedimentation
Definition
recorder of plate tectonics, biology, ocean chemistry, temp, can track paleotemperature curves
Term
summary: CCD
Definition
calcareous deposits form above, siliceous form below, high CC in more acidic Pacific (cause its older), abyssal clays where there is little bioproduction
Term
summary: oceanic/atmospheric motions
Definition
atmospheric: driven by differential solar heating, circulation then drives oceanic surface currents, both are effected by coriolis,
Term
summary:moon sun tides
Definition
spring tides: 2 times a month when moon and sun line up to create bigger tides neap tides: 2 times a month when moon and sun work differently, smaller tides
important source of ocean mixing and keeps nutrients in the water column
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