Fresh Water
Where is the largest percentage of Earth's fresh water is found?
How would the density of ocean water if ice caps and glaciers melted?
More freshwater would enter the ocean, make it less dense.
Coriolis effect
What organism is at the base of most marine food chains?
Phytoplankton
Why is it risky to build a house on a barrier island?
Barrier islands are unstable and can be eroded away.
Aquifers/groundwater
What is the main source of dissolved O2 in the ocean?
Plants and algae that live near the surface.
Why is the ocean considered the most diverse ecosystem on Earth?
It receives nutrients from land carried by rivers AND by upwelling.
What would MOST LIKELY happen to the entire ocean food web if plankton were not available?
All organisms would probably die because of lack of food and oxygen.
How does SONAR work?
Sound waves are transmitted through water and reflected back by hard surfaces.
What is a rain deficit?
When evaporation is greater than precipitation.
What percentage of Earth's water is found in the oceans?
97%
What would probably happen if there is an increase in upwellings?
More nutrients which lead to more aquatic life
In which part of the ocean do the GREATEST number of organisms live?
Why do plant plankton not grow in the deep ocean?
The sunlight doesn't reach that deep
Which factor--average temperature, average rainfall, or location of the nearest ocean--has the greatest effect on a community's stores of fresh water?
Average rainfall
What processes moves water that was once in the ocean into freshwater reserves?
The processes of the water cycle--evaporation, precipitation, etc.
Organisms that live in hydrothermal vents do not benefit from sunlight. What do they use as their energy source?
Chemosynthesis
What are the 2 most common elements in the ocean?
What will most likely happen (in terms of density and temperature) if a warm ocean current travels north or south from the equator?
The current will become cooler, causing it to be more dense and sink.
Which of the following is a freshwater reservoir--Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, Antarctic polar ice?
Antarctic polar ice
What causes cold ocean water to rise during an upwelling?
Surface winds
How do oceanic upwellings promote the growth of microscopic plankton?
They bring nutrients to the surface.
What is special about the photic zone?
When a substance is changing phases, why do temperature changes not occur?
Energy is being used to increase or decrease the speed of the particles