Unique Nature of Pure Water
This property allows water molecules to stick together through hydrogen bonds.
What is Cohesion
This is the average salinity of seawater, measured in parts per thousand.
What is 35‰ (parts per thousand)?
The two most abundant ions in seawater are these
What are sodium and chloride
Ocean acidification is mainly caused by the absorption of this gas from the atmosphere.
What is carbon dioxide
This process by plants and phytoplankton removes CO₂ from the atmosphere.
What is photosynthesis?
Water’s high value of this property helps regulate Earth’s climate by absorbing heat without a large change in temperature.
What is specific heat capacity?
The term for the layer of rapidly changing temperature in the ocean.
What is the thermocline?
The constant ratio of major ions in seawater is known as this principle.
What is the Principle of Constant Proportions?
When CO₂ dissolves in seawater, it forms this weak acid.
What is carbonic acid
The process that releases carbon back into the atmosphere when organisms break down food.
What is respiration?
Because of this property, water can dissolve more substances than any other liquid.
What is the universal solvent property?
Seawater density increases when this factor increases and temperature decreases.
What is salinity
The process that adds salts to the ocean through weathering and runoff.
What is river input or continental weathering?
Ocean acidification lowers this measure of seawater’s hydrogen ion concentration.
What is pH?
When dead organisms sink and store carbon in ocean sediments, it’s called this.
What is the biological carbon pump?
Water is less dense in this state than as a liquid, allowing ice to float.
What is the solid state?
This property of seawater causes light to scatter and affects its color.
What is turbidity (or optical clarity)?
The removal of dissolved substances from seawater through biological or chemical means is called this
What is the process of removal or “residence time”?
Marine organisms like corals and shellfish struggle to form shells because acidification reduces the availability of this ion.
What is carbonate
Carbon moves from the ocean surface to the deep ocean primarily through this process.
What is carbon sequestration or sinking?
This molecular structure, featuring a bent shape and polar covalent bonds, gives water its unique chemical behavior.
What is the polar structure of H₂O?
The relationship between temperature, salinity, and density in seawater is described by this scientific equation.
What is the equation of state for seawater?
This element, vital for marine life, exists in seawater in nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia forms.
What is nitrogen?
This term describes the capacity of seawater to neutralize acids, which decreases as acidification increases.
What is alkalinity?
This long-term cycle involves the movement of carbon between the atmosphere, oceans, living organisms, and Earth’s crust.
What is the global carbon cycle?