Chemical and Physical Properties of Seawater

Chapter 3, p 44 - 68

Specifics
Properties of water
Ocean Circulation Waves and Tides

Brainstorm with a partner!

Unique properties of water

All 3 states of matter on Earth
Very polar molecule Weak hydrogen bonds

Evaporation
Liquid Gas
Hydrogen bonds broken Density and temperature

Temperate and State

Less dense as a solid than a liquid.
Habitat and insulation for organisms

H+ bonds result in higher melting and freezing temp.

Latent heat of melting

Latent heat of melting the amount of heat required to melt a substance
Absorbs A LOT of heat when it melts Hydrogen bonds break, but motion of molecules does not speed up until all of the ice melts. It takes A LOT of energy to break hydrogen bonds!

Heat Capacity
Water is able to absorb a lot of heat with a relatively small increase in temperature
HIGH heat capacity amount of heat needed to raise a substances temperature by a given amount Important for marine organisms
Not exposed to rapid changes in temperatures

Latent heat of evaporation

One of highest of all substances on Earth
Only fastest moving molecules can break hydrogen bonds and evaporate

Molecules left behind in the liquid phase have a lower temperature evaporative cooling

Water Cycle

Properties of Seawater
Water is the universal solvent

Ion dissociation

Seawater
Salinity total amount of salt dissolved in seawater

Not just Na+ and ClLots of salts! See p. 48, Table 3.1 Where do the salts come from?

Where might ion concentrations of seawater differ from the normal amounts?

Salinity, Temperature, Density

More salty = More dense
Lower temperature more dense Measuring temperature and salinity at specific points in the ocean Niskin bottles

Lets take a look!

Temperature Profile
Temperature and salinity at several depths at once; above is a temperature profile or thermocline (zone of rapid temperature change).

CTD:

How do we get this data?

Conductivity-tempdepth meters

Fig. 3.9 in text Red arrow for water samples Yellow arrow: electronic instruments (temp, salinity, light, clarity) CTD description

SST
Satellite Images

Current Conditions

Temperature and Salinity

SST of NE coast of the United States. Do you know the current?

Dissolved Gases
Oxygen (O2) not very soluble
Most released through photosynthesis Amounts also dependent upon respiration

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) more soluble

80% of dissolved CO2 is in ocean

Nitrogen (N2) Dissolve at surface of water or gases released into air Gas dissolves best in cold water

Oxygen Content of Ocean

High oxygen content near the sea surface
Low oxygen at mid-depth

Increase in oxygen in the water ~ 1 km water below sea level

CO2 in the Ocean

How is the fact that 80% of the worlds CO2 is found in the ocean affecting our oceans?

CO2 Emissions

CO2 is much more soluble than oxygen because it reacts chemically when it dissolves CO2 makes up more than 80% of the dissolved gas in the ocean, compared to less than 0.04% of air Ocean stores more than 50x as much total CO2 as the atmosphere.

Light Conditions
CO2 + H2O + sun energy C6H12O6 + O2
C6H12O6 + O2 CO2 + H2O + energy

Must have the right light conditions to fuel photosynthesis! Light levels change with depth.

Visible Light Spectrum

Colors of the Ocean

Photos courtesy of www. science.nasa.gov

Depth of 30 m: Only blue light remains: (a)Under natural lighting this sea star appears light blue, with the tips of the arms almost black. (b)A flash reveals the sea stars true colors.

Light Zones

1. Photic zone sunlit, 200 meters below the surface of the ocean 2. Twilight zone - from about 200 - 2000 meters below the surface. 3. Abyssal zone no sunlight, from 2000 - 5000 meters below the surface to the bottom of the ocean.

Light Penetration of Surface Waters

Gathering Data

Pressure in the Ocean

Organisms on land are under 1 atm (14.7 lbs/sq in or psi) at sea level. The weight of all the air above them. Marine organisms are under the weight of water as well as the atmosphere. Since water is much heavier than air, marine organisms are under much more pressure than those on land. As the pressure increases, gases are compressed. Gas-filled structures inside organisms like air bladders, floats, and lungs shrink or collapse.
Limits depth range of organisms We need special equipment to go deep or special instruments that can withstand pressure

At surface, how much pressure?

Tin can demo 1 ATM or 14.7 lbs/in2

Pressure

Every 10m (33ft) of increased depth --> 1 ATM

How much pressure on a organisms that dives to 100m?

14.7psi x 11 = 161 psi

What happens if that organisms surfaces too quickly?

Fig 3.15 in text: swim bladder blows up like a balloon because of decreased pressure.

Ocean Circulation
Currents move ocean waters around the worlds oceans at different depths
Currents circulate heat, nutrients, pollution, and organisms Great affects on earths climate

New Gulf Current

The Coriolis Effect

www.oceanservice.noaa.gov

If the Earth did not rotate on its axis, the atmosphere would only circulate back and forth between the poles and the equator

The Coriolis Effect

www.oceanservice.noaa.gov

Because the Earth rotates on its axis, circulating air is deflected toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere. This deflection is called the Coriolis effect.

Wind Patterns
Winds in atmosphere are driven by heat energy from the sun. Equator is warmer than poles more heat energy absorbed here

Less dense hot air rises

Cooler air replaces it Wind is formed! Remember, winds do not travel straight, they are bent by Coriolis Effect

Trade Winds
30N

Doldrums

30S

Air near equator is warmed by solar heating and rises. Air from higher latitudes moves in over the Earths surface to replace the rising air, creating winds. The TRADE WINDS are deflected by the Coriolis effect and approach the Equator at an angle of about 45.

Ekman Transport

If the ocean current is regarded as layered, then each deeper layer moves more slowly than the overlying layer.

Global Wind Patterns

The major wind patterns are created by the rising of sun-warmed air and the sinking of cold air. How do the continents effect the wind patterns?

Major Surface Currents

Ocean Gyres

Created by wind-driven surface currents Moderate climate by bringing warm water north and cold water south

Thermoclines
Depth profiles for salinity, temperature, and density
What is a thermocline and how does it develop? Seasonal vs. permanent thermoclines

Temperature Profile
Stable water column = less dense shallow and more dense deeper Unstable water column = surface water sink and mixes with deeper water
DOWNWELLING Polar regions in winter

Ocean Mixing
These two water masses originate at the surface in the extreme North and South Atlantic, then sink and spread along the bottom.

Thermohaline Circulation
The movement (circulation) of water in the ocean over great distances that is driven by changes in density
Changes in density determined by temperature and salinity. Fingerprint of the water mass is how currents are tracked

Circulation of the Ocean

The Great Ocean Conveyor Global current pattern Deep circulation of the oceans is part of the global pattern known as great ocean conveyor. This constantly replenishes the oxygen supply to the depths.

Waves

Water particles do not move along with a wave but instead move in circles. When under the crest they move up and forward with the wave, then they are pulled back down. As wave after wave passes, the water and anything floating in or on it moves in circles.

Waves
Fetch - the span of open water over which the wind blows Fetch is important in determining the size of waves Wind starts the wave which eventually settles out into a swell as it gets farther from the source of wind.

What kind of waves are these?

Waves

-Storm winds generate seas, peaked with waves with relatively flat troughs. - When the waves reach shallow water, they get higher and shorter (closer together). They become unstable and break, expending their energy on the shoreline. - Water particles under swells have the ideal circular motion. - In shallower water the influence of the bottom causes the particle motion to flatten out into a back and forth movement known as surge

Tides
Gravitational pull of the moon and sun and by the rotations of the earth, moon, and sun. The moon and earth are held together by gravitational attraction. The moons gravity is strongest on the side of the earth closest to the moon. Centrifugal force produced by the earths motion causes water to bulge outward, away from the moon. On the side of the earth closest to the moon, the gravitational pull overcomes the centrifugal force and pulls the water into a bulge toward the moon.

How does a grunion (Leuresthes tenuis) use the tide?

Tides

Because the moon moves while the earth is rotating, a full tidal cycle takes 50 minutes longer than the 24 hrs it takes the earth to make a complete rotation.

Tides

1. Spring Tide - The tidal bulges are largest, and therefore the tidal range is greatest, when the moon and sun are in line - new and full moon. 2. Neap Tide - Tidal ranges smallest when moon and sun are puling at right angles, which occurs when the moon is in quarter.

Tides

Semidiurnal tides 2 high tides and 2 low tide per day Bay of Fundy
How tides work: great demo

Tides

Worldwide distribution of semidurinal (2H, 2L), mixed semidiurnal (2H and 2L of different heights), and diurnal (1H, 1L) tides.