Ocean Water Vocabulary K-W-L Chart

Ocean Water Misconceptions

Ocean Water Properties of Ocean Water Life in the oceans Ocean Resources

Dissolved Gases The two principal gasses in the atmosphere are Nitrogen and Oxygen and they are also the main gases in the ocean water. CO2 is also a major gas in the ocean. 60 times more concentrated than in the atmosphere. Because of this the ocean is commonly referred to as a Carbon Sink. Gases dissolve quicker in colder waters.

Dissolved solids Ocean water is 96.5% pure water. 3.5% are solids called sea salts. (about 75 different elements) These solids come from volcanic eruptions, chemical weathering of rock on lands, and chemical reactions between sea water and newly formed sea floor rocks. Most Abundant Elements

Salinity of Ocean Water Salinity is a measure of the amount of dissolved salts and other solids in a given liquid. Written as a part per thousand parts ocean. Ex. 1000g of ocean water contains 35 g of salt so its 35 parts per thousand or 35% and has 3/5% salts. When salt water evaporates only water rises not salt. The rate of evaporation can offset the salinity of the ocean.

Ocean Water Temperature of Ocean Water varies with depth Surface Water: fairly constant thru a depth of 300 m does change with latitude. Pack ice can form in higher latitudes to keep water from freezing The Thermocline: the layer in a body of water in which water temperature drops with increased depth faster than it does in other layers. Happens due to changes in density. Cold water is denser Deep Water: water is usually 2 degrees Celsius the density of cold deep water controls the slow movement of deep ocean currents which occur when the cold, dense water at the poles sinks and flows beneath warm water toward the equator.

Color of the Ocean Water The color of ocean water is determined by the way the water absorbs or reflects sunlight. White light (which is a combination of all color wavelengths)penetrates the surface of the ocean ad is absorbed by the water all are absorbed excetp blue which is reflected. Phytoplankton (microscopic plants in the ocean) reflect green affecting the shade of blue the ocean might have at the moment.

Life in the Ocean Chapter 20 sec. 2

Ocean chemistry The chemistry of the ocean is combination of dissolved gases and solids that are essential to marine life. They help maintain the balance of the ocean water. The distribution of life in the ocean depends on the way life supporting nutrients cycle in the ocean water. Most nutrients are absorbed by organisms on the surface, when the die the nutrients sink down and other organisms eat it. Upwelling is the moment of deep, cold, and nutrient rich water to the surface.

Ocean Enviroments The ocean can be divded into two basic enviroments. Benthic zone: bottom region. Has 5 subzones: Pelagic Zone: top region.

Ocean Water